🔗 Share this article

You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.