Scammers' Fake Goods 'Could Cause Serious Damage'

You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

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

Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

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

The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

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

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.