Scots are more than twice as likely as people elsewhere in the UK to fall for scams promising dramatic weight loss or cures for a medical condition.
Some 15% of consumers north of the border who responded to a mass-marketed con took up the offer of slimming pills or health cures, compared with only 6% in the rest of the country.
People who fall for the schemes are duped into paying for tablets which they are told will increase fat-burning power or suppress their appetite without the need for exercise or dieting.
The survey was carried out by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Kyla Brand, who represents
the organisation in Scotland, said: “Consumers need to be aware of the increasingly sophisticated and cunning tactics used to dupe people out of their cash.
“It is important that anyone thinks very carefully before responding to an offer. The only pounds that will be lost by replying to e-mails or letters promising miracle diet cures will be those in your pocket.
“Anyone who is tempted to buy a slimming product should talk to a doctor or pharmacist before parting with any money.”
Previous research for the OFT has estimated that 200,000 consumers lose a total of £20 million a year on “miracle” health and slimming scams following contact by post or e-mail.
They often include money-back guarantees and apparent testimonials from happy customers, some of whom say they have lost up to eight stones in five months.
Women are thought to make up about 78% of victims of slimming scams, and can pay up to £50 a time for supplies of pills which claim to offer an end to their battle with their weight.
But health experts have warned against the promise of quick-fix solutions.
Charlene Shoneye, a specialist dietitian with the charity Weight Concern, said the scam offers were regularly posted out to households or advertised online and in magazines.
She said: “It is an attractive option. They are promoting that you can do what you like and still lose weight. It is a false promise.
“We recognise how difficult it is to make changes to eating and levels of activity and sustain those changes, so people may have been struggling for a long time. They are preying on people who are susceptible and vulnerable.”
The OFT has already taken action against several companies which have promoted misleading slimming products, including a suction pad worn on the foot which claimed to suck out excess fat while people slept.
Ms Shoneye said it was important that people who wanted help with losing weight sought advice from their GP.
She said: “It is not to say there is no place for medication, but it needs to be licensed and monitored by a qualified progressional.”
The OFT research also showed that people in Scotland are most likely to fall for scams offering them the opportunity to work at home. Other common cons are prize-draw opportunities and advance fee frauds, in which consumers are persuaded to pay one sum to secure a larger cash payout in the future.
Consumers are being asked to drop any scam mailings they receive into designated bins at councils and libraries today as a month-long awareness campaign called Scamnesty nears its end.
You can’t slim by eating chocolate
- More than 30,000 consumers are thought to have responded to leaflets for Lipo-Slim pads, which were said to suck out fat if worn on the feet while sleeping. Buyers, who paid up to £44.95 for a six-week supply, were told they could lose up to 99lbs in four months.
- Accu-Slim Beads were hailed as “fat-burning acupuncture without needles, diets, exercise or effort”. Consumer testimonials for the beads, costing £63 for 120, said some women had lost up to 64lbs in seven weeks by wearing one behind their ear.
- The Hong Kong firm behind Accu-Slim Beads also sent mailings marketing slimming chocolate as a “revolutionary cure for the obese”. It was claimed that eating the chocolate could help users lose 20lbs in 20 days.
