Fraudsters' Fake Products 'May Lead to Serious Damage'

You have heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.