Fraudsters' Counterfeit Products 'Could Cause Serious Damage'

You've come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.

The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.