Scammers' Fake Products 'May Lead to Serious Damage'

You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.

The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.