A pharmacy owner had their videos, logo and name copycatted by a fake online pharmacy offering discount weight loss jabs.
Sehar Shahid, who owns 24 HR Pharmacy and is on the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) Scottish board, was tipped off by another online pharmacy which said her videos, name and logos had been copied.
“They not only copied my logos, they had a very similar business name as well,” she told C+D. “On TikTok, we’re @24hrpharmacy.co.uk and they were @24hronlinepharmacy.
“They had my pinned videos, and videos of other legitimate online pharmacies as well, but ours were probably copied the most.”
Read more: A simple solution to assist an increasingly weighty problem
Shahid said the page looked “very legit” because it featured pharmacists giving educational videos, but amongst them were “unethical videos” on Mounjaro and others telling scrollers to “DM us to place orders”.
“We reported it straight away. I then made videos on my own social media about being careful where you order from. You need to check their GPhC registration and the domain attached to that license.
“It’s worrying because it’s about patient safety, but also about protecting my brand and reputation because I don’t want patients to think ‘I got it from Sehar’s pharmacy’. I am on social media and very visible.”
Cheaper
Last week (February 27), C+D saw another fake account with the handle @24hrpharmacy.co.uk2 that had double the number of followers and likes compared to Shahid’s own account.
One video had directly copied one Shahid had posted about taking GLP-1s during Ramadan. The account appears now to be removed.
Read more: ASA weight loss jab ad triple ban for ‘targeting body insecurities’
Shahid said she reported three accounts and some were taken down by TikTok, but some were left because it had “found no violation”.
“So, that’s the other frustrating part when we are reporting it, it’s not being taken seriously.”
One of the accounts had 5,000 followers, more than Shahid’s own accounts, and there were hundreds of comments on videos asking for prices of the weight loss jabs.
Read more: MHRA busts second illicit weight loss jab manufacturing facility
She said the price difference was “significant”, with some weight loss drugs a third or half the market rate.
“The prices that they were promoting seemed very appealing. So, for patients who are desperate for treatment, but they can’t afford it, they’ll very easily fall into that trap. It’s so unsafe.”
TikTok said as per its community guidelines, it does not allow account behaviour that may spam or mislead our community, including spam or impersonation accounts.
Read more: Social posts advertising weight loss jabs via affiliate links banned
It also doesn’t allow trading, marketing, or providing access to regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services, including regulated substances such as products marketed for weight loss or muscle gain.
It added in quarter three of 2025, 94% of videos were proactively removed before they were reported to them that violated its policies on regulated goods and commercial activities involving alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
No consultation
Going undercover, Shahid pretended she was a customer and contacted the copycat account to see how it operated.
“It was very much ‘just choose what you want and send us a bank transfer, and we’ll get it sorted for you’,” she said. “We kept pushing saying ‘we wanted to speak to somebody because I’m a bit nervous’. They were just not having any of it.
“They said ‘all instructions will come with it’. Obviously, we knew no one is going to do a consultation or do it properly because it’s an illegitimate pharmacy. But we wanted to see what they would do.
Read more: Fake Mounjaro pens supplied through UK online pharmacy
“There was no conversation or a proper consultation to make sure I’m eligible. They didn’t ask me about my weight or details of my medical history.”
Shahid told C+D she contacted the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) about this and was told to continue reporting it.
“They said I could also report it to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as well as the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). I did report it to them, but I never heard anything back as such.
“But then some were taken down so that could be that they’ve intervened in the background as well.”
Fake
An MHRA spokesperson said “taking these medicines sourced in any other way carries serious risks to your health with no guarantees about what they contain”.
Its Criminal Enforcement Unit works to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines, including online, and action taken is determined on a case-by-case basis. This could include criminal investigation and prosecution.
It advises people who are considering buying medication online to look at its #FakeMeds campaign which outlines how products can be accessed from safe and legitimate sources.
Read more: Do not ‘risk health’ by buying illegal meds online, urges MHRA
A GPhC spokesperson told C+D it’s “very concerned about people getting medicines for weight management from unregulated sources” and this is “a major patient safety concern”.
“The MHRA is the lead regulator for taking action against fake pharmacies illegally supplying prescription-only medicines, and we are working closely with the MHRA on this issue. We want to help raise awareness among patients and the public to help keep them safe when going online for medicines and treatment.
“We plan to run a social media campaign soon, to make people aware there is a register of regulated pharmacies and urging them to always check an online pharmacy is on that register before using it,” it added.
The ASA said when it receives complaints about the illegal supply of weight-loss prescription-only medicines (POMs), it usually refers them to the MHRA who are the most appropriate body to deal with cases relating to the illegal supply of POMs.
Retatrutide
Shahid believes it’s “either completely counterfeit products they’re trying to flog off and use a reputable pharmacy brand to make it believable”, or the perpetrators have got access to legitimate products on the black market and are trying to sell them.
“Even if it’s genuine medication, this isn’t a regulated pharmacy. You have no idea how that medication has been stored and managed because it has to be kept in the fridge.
Read more: Gym owner charged for illegal possession of GLP-1s
“Actually, you don’t even know if they’re going to send you something. It may just be that they take your money and that’s it. So, people may be getting scammed.”
As more patients are turning to treatment for obesity, other videos are appearing targeting patients with new weight loss products, she adds.
“We’re seeing a huge rise in people selling retatrutide which is not yet approved by the MHRA. But many on social media are claiming they are on it and you can purchase it from them.
Read more: Weight loss: Illegal retatrutide pharmacy sales ‘being looked at’
“Because we know that’s not the real drug, what is that you’re actually taking? That’s the worrying part.”
It comes as two separate premises believed to have been used for the manufacture and distribution of unlicensed weight loss medicines, including retatrutide and tirzepatide, have been raided by the MHRA.
