Major bank issues warning over SCAM weight loss jabs as number of customers being duped surges

Weight loss drug related scams have surged by as much as 286 per cent between the first and third quarters of this year, data reveals.

Over the same time frame the amount of money swindled out of victims in these scams skyrocketed as much as 417 per cent, according to figures from Santander.

Between July and September, the average weight loss scam cost Santander customers £120, with some £3,742 lost by victims who are Santander customers in total in the third quarter alone.

This means the total number who have fallen victim to these scams, and the amount of money they have lost to scammers, will be much higher.

The scam could involve them receiving fake weight loss jabs, or paying for medications that never arrive at all.  

More widely, scams related to supplements, pills and medicines have more than doubled in value, rising 105 per cent from £6,339 among Santander customers in the second quarter, to £13,030 in the third quarter.

Popular: Recent figures reveal that some 2.5million people in the UK are using weight loss drugs, amounting to one in 20 adults

Michelle Pilsworth, head of fraud and customer experience at Santander UK, said: ‘We saw a record number of fake weight loss jabs seized in the UK earlier this week, and this is mirrored in the types of scams that we’re seeing day in day out.

‘Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with scams involving weight loss products, supplements and medicines soaring in recent months.’

Both men and women are being targeted by the scam, with 45 per cent of victims being men, and 55 per cent being women.

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In almost all cases, Santander said, the scams are originating through social media and messaging apps.

Pilsworth said: ‘Our message is clear: if a deal looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is, and buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost.’

Santander warns that people should check the source of the adverts they see marketing these drugs, with Scammers often creating profiles to mimic real brands.

These scams often manipulate victims by using phrases like ‘limited time offer’, ‘exclusive deal’ and ‘free giveaway’, designed to make victims act without thinking, Santander said.

It comes after a police raid in Northampton last week saw the single largest seizure of illicit weight loss drugs ever, with £250,000 of counterfeit weight loss pens seized.

Weight loss drugs have been rapidly gaining in popularity in recent years, with the likes of Mounjaro and Wegovy now being available on the NHS in some cases.

However, some users are also buying these drugs on the black market, while Ozempic, which is licensed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes, is also used by some as a weight loss drug.

Recent figures reveal that some 2.5million people in the UK are using weight loss drugs, amounting to one in 20 adults.

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