Weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic have increased in popularity over the past two years, causing a shortage. Amid the growing demand, social media scammers have taken notice offering to ship weight loss drugs at lower prices and without a prescription.
A joint investigation conducted from February to April by the nonprofits Digital Citizens Alliance and the Coalition for a Safer Web examined dozens of TikTok profiles offering to sell prescription weight-loss drugs at lower prices. In almost every situation, the transaction turned out to be a scam.
Some of the videos the researchers found touting the weight-loss drugs used testimonials, along with before-and-after photos showing what appeared to be results. A video showed a purported customer's comment, which said, “Great product, fast shipping and I've already lost 16 pounds.”
However, researchers said all of these videos were actually scams to attract vulnerable shoppers hoping to lose weight.
“As we looked for them over time because of Tiktok's algorithm, they start looking for us. So it wasn't difficult to find several dozen operators that offer Ozempic. In all the cases we found , have been scams,” said Tom Galvin of the Digital Citizens Alliance.
Galvin said he had dozens of online chats with sellers. Some claimed to be legitimate pharmacies offering to ship Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy.
The alleged scammers accepted payments through online services such as Zelle, PayPal and Venmo, but investigators said they never received any product.
TikTok told CBS News in response to the investigation that it removed accounts that violate its guidelines.
A TikTok spokesperson said it “has firm policies that prohibit this behavior.” The company added that it “proactively identifies 95% of the content it removes for violating its anti-drug and anti-scam rules in the US.”
Galvin said consumers who are misled by ads can be harmed in a number of ways.
“One is that you're going to get ripped off. Two is that you're going to get drugs, and they're going to be counterfeit and they're going to be harmful. And three is that you're going to get Ozempic, but not using Ozempic under a doctor's care can be dangerous, and those three things are very bad results for Americans.”
According to a research survey by Digital Citizens, about one in six Americans has used Ozempic or a similar drug. The main use of these drugs is to control diabetes.
A TikTok spokesperson said the study has limitations because it only found a handful of problematic accounts and that prescription drug scams can also be found on other social media channels.
Meanwhile, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy told CBS News that their products have different dosages and should not be used without the care and advice of a medical professional.
Anna Werner
