According to a recent survey from Statista, 15 percent of Americans have a 2025 New Year's resolution to lose weight, while 19 percent want to eat healthier and 17 percent want to exercise more. To accomplish these goals, it's fair to assume that some people will ultimately turn to weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro (which are only approved to treat type 2 diabetes but are often prescribed off-label) or Wegovy and Zepbound, which are indicated for chronic weight management.
In fact, it's estimated that 15 million Americans currently use GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy, a staggering increase from the estimated 2 million people in 2021. Unfortunately, scammers and schemers come out of the woodwork whenever something surges in popularity, and the weight-loss drug market is no exception.
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What are weight-loss drug scams?
Online weight-loss drug scams began in earnest in early 2024 when the drugs were often in short supply. As Quartz explains, bad actors offer the "medications" for a steep discount but actually mail out "allergy medicine, insulin, saline solution, or nothing at all."
Earlier this year, security company McAfee released a report detailing weight-loss drug scams between Jan. and April 2024. According to their analysis, "malicious phishing attempts centered around Ozempic, Wegovy, and Semaglutide" increased 183 percent compared to October through December 2023.
McAfee found "449 risky website URLs and 176,871 dangerous phishing attempts centered around these drugs." They also pinpointed many fake Craigslist and Facebook postings in which scammers pose as doctors or pharmacists outside the U.S. offering the drugs. Some of the phishing attempts are even phony ads placed on legitimate websites.
The Digital Citizens Alliance and Coalition for a Safer Web released a separate report in May focusing on TikTok weight-loss drug scams. During a three-month investigation, they found at least 60 bad actors claiming to be pharmacies or medical professionals offering the medications without needing a prescription.
TikTok is especially dangerous because if someone has previously searched for weight-loss drugs on the app, its sophisticated algorithms will then serve them content such as these scams. And as Quartz notes, the fake videos often depict people opening up boxes that appear to be from legitimate drug companies.
In all of these scams, the fraudsters accept payment via digital platforms like Bitcoin, Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, or gift card, none of which are legitimate payment methods for medications. And they all have an ultimate goal of obtaining victims' financial and personal information.
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Why are these scams expected to increase?
In speaking with Quartz, Abhishek Karnik, McAfee’s director for threat research and response, said, "This is one of the scams that will persist after the holiday season, specifically because the holiday season is when you have all your fun. At the end of it, you start with your New Year’s resolutions. Weight loss is a big part of a lot of people’s New Year’s resolutions, and so I expect that very soon you’ll see more of these scams sort of come up at the beginning of the year."
"When people need something and it’s difficult to get, that’s when the scammers come in," he added.
Though Karnik didn't specifically comment on TikTok or other algorithm-based apps, it's likely that more people will be searching for weight-loss drugs after the holidays, which could also lead to a surge in fake ad placements.
In one example, Alicia Smith, a reporter for ABC affiliate WXYZ Detroit received an email on Christmas morning with the subject line, "Ozempic delivered to your house."
"The body of the email showed two squares for an Ozempic image that were not there," she shared. "They had a little question mark in the box and above the two boxes it read, 'no images. Click here.' Whatever you do, do not click that link."
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Here's how to protect yourself from weight-loss drug scams:
If you are concerned about how your weight affects your health and are considering weight-loss drugs, the only safe option is to speak with your doctor. It's imperative to remember that obtaining medication without a prescription is illegal. If you do get a prescription from your doctor and are seeking out pharmacies from which to get it filled, there are some easy red flags to spot that indicate a weight-loss drug ad or website may be a scam. According to McAfee and Quartz, these include:
- There is no requirement for you to show your prescription
- A pharmacy, especially a foreign pharmacy, is not licensed through your state board of pharmacy, which you can check here
- A low price that seems too good to be true
- Any payment method other than PayPal, Apple Pay, or a credit card payment, which are typically what legitimate online pharmacies use
- Website errors and missing product details
- Misleading or outlandish claims about what weight-loss drugs can do
- The seller wants to communicate via another messaging app such as the encrypted service Telegram
If you believe you've encountered a weight-loss drug scam or have fallen victim to one, you can alert the FDA here.
