Inside Europe’s AI-Fuelled GLP-1 Scam Epidemic: How Criminal Networks Are Hijacking the Identities of the NHS, AEMPS, ANSM, BfArM and AIFA to Sell Fake Weight-Loss Products blog.checkpoint.com/research/…
The global appetite for GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have created something far more dangerous than a cultural trend. It has created the perfect opening for cyber criminals who understand how desperation, scarcity and online misinformation intersect. As clinics struggle with shortages and manufacturers warn of supply limits extending well into 2025 and 2026, the demand for “easier,” faster or cheaper alternatives has exploded. Into this void, criminal groups have moved with extraordinary speed. A few weeks ago, Check Point Research published an investigation into the rise of AI-powered pharmaceutical scams in the United States. We revealed how criminals were using generative AI to produce entire counterfeit ecosystems: fabricated doctors, lab reports, packaging, transformations, reviews and endorsements. But we also noted something subtle: scammers in the U.S. generally avoided misusing FDA or NIH branding. They were bold, but not that bold. Across the UK, Spain, France, Italy and Germany, we found several examples of impersonation of national healthcare institutions. Criminals are not just selling fake GLP-1 products. They are cloning the identities of the organizations millions rely on for medical safety and public trust. They are doing it with precision, linguistic localization, culturally specific emotional triggers using generative AI systems capable of producing limitless variants of the same lie.
