Fraudsters' Counterfeit Goods 'Could Cause Real Harm'

You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

But it seems there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to simply take people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a major retail 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 scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.

These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.

What to do

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

Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, 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 based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.