🔗 Share this article Scammers' Counterfeit Products 'May Lead to Serious Damage' You've heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost. But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, 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 spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems. The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash. Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”. Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says. “Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud. How It Appears Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks. The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”. As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply. “Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert. What to do Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine. Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health. 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 online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.