(January 23, 2007)--A more than $7 million settlement announced Tuesday blocks a Dallas company from marketing a bogus gasoline additive.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sued BioPerformance last May over the drop-in-the-tank pill and powders that experts say falsely were marketed to increase fuel efficiency.

Investigators determined the sales involved a pyramid scheme.

The lawsuit says BioPerformance made money by getting consumers to purchase the pills in bulk, and then sell them to others.

Abbott's office says consumers who were deceived will share the settlement.

"With gasoline prices hitting record highs, these defendants aggressively marketed their worthless product as a wonder-cure,” Abbott said.

“Sadly, these do-nothing pills were merely the tools of an elaborate pyramid scheme that enriched the sellers while buyers were left with empty hands and empty wallets."

The company’s web site promised fuel savings of 25 percent from the pill and indicated BioPerformance had a net income of $25 million since December of 2005.

Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin and at a Florida university tested the product, however, and concluded the pills were mainly comprised of naphthalene, the same chemical found in mothballs, Abbott said after filing the suit earlier this year.

The Attorney General’s laboratory expert concluded the product could actually decrease engine performance.

Consumers who want file a claim for restitution can contact the Texas Attorney General's Office at 1-800-252-8011 or via the Attorney General’s Web site.

Click Here For Texas Attorney General’s Web Site

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