🔗 Share this article

You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.

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

With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

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

Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.