Fitness scams are rife in January as people seek to kickstart their New Year resolutions. With promises of cheap gym memberships and tailored training plans, it's hard to distinguish between legitimate offers and fake deals.
Criminals are cloning real ads or sites from legitimate businesses, using tactics like urgency and pressure to 'sign up today' to lure victims in. The websites may look convincing, but the web address may have a few different characters, or the images used can be altered to make muscles appear more bulked up to lure people in with tales of success.
If you see an ad on social media promising a cheap gym membership or a personal trainer offering a tailored regime, there's usually a sense of urgency attached. This is a typical tactic by fraudsters to prompt people into reacting without fully thinking through the purchase. Be wary of offers that rely on extreme discounts or pressure to 'sign up today', especially if there are limited contact details or no independent reviews.
If you hand over your bank details, the criminals will take the payment and store it for use in a future fraud. The tactics are identical to those used in other types of scams, such as discount holidays.
To spot a fitness scam, pay close attention to the address of the website you land on. One or a few letters may be different from a legitimate site, although they may appear similar. It's also best to avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails or social media messages claiming to be from gyms or fitness brands.
If you think you have been defrauded, contact your bank immediately and then report the incident to Action Fraud, the central hub for fraud and online crime.
Criminals are cloning real ads or sites from legitimate businesses, using tactics like urgency and pressure to 'sign up today' to lure victims in. The websites may look convincing, but the web address may have a few different characters, or the images used can be altered to make muscles appear more bulked up to lure people in with tales of success.
If you see an ad on social media promising a cheap gym membership or a personal trainer offering a tailored regime, there's usually a sense of urgency attached. This is a typical tactic by fraudsters to prompt people into reacting without fully thinking through the purchase. Be wary of offers that rely on extreme discounts or pressure to 'sign up today', especially if there are limited contact details or no independent reviews.
If you hand over your bank details, the criminals will take the payment and store it for use in a future fraud. The tactics are identical to those used in other types of scams, such as discount holidays.
To spot a fitness scam, pay close attention to the address of the website you land on. One or a few letters may be different from a legitimate site, although they may appear similar. It's also best to avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails or social media messages claiming to be from gyms or fitness brands.
If you think you have been defrauded, contact your bank immediately and then report the incident to Action Fraud, the central hub for fraud and online crime.
Fitness scams are SO out of hand in January! 
They can be really convincing, but it's all about keeping an eye on those tiny details - like a slightly different web address or images that are photoshopped to make someone look way bulkier than they actually are 
. Don't fall for those "limited time offers" or "sign up today" deals... trust your instincts and do your research before handing over your deets 
! If you think you've been scammed, report it ASAP to Action Fraud - don't wait until later 
.
u gotta be so careful w/ those gym memberships rn 
they sound too good 2 b true lol 
then dont give out ur bank deets 4 no 1 
n if somethin sounds fishy, trust ur gut n report it 2 action fraud ASAP 
i was so hyped about joining a new gym but it turned out they wanted my bank deets 
. I mean, who doesn't want to get fit on a New Year's resolution? But it's so easy to get caught up in all those 'limited time offers' and 'guaranteed results' ads that you forget to do your research. My friend's sister got scammed out of her credit card info last year because she clicked on an ad that seemed legit 
. Now she's always super careful with her online transactions. And honestly, it's just not worth the risk. If a deal seems too good (or bad) to be true, it probably is 
, but let's not fall for these fake gym memberships & tailored training plans 
. The scammers clone legit ads & sites, use urgency & pressure to lure u in 
. Be cautious of cheap deals w/ limited info or no reviews 
, & never click on links in unsolicited emails/mesg 
. If u fall victim, report it 2 Action Fraud ASAP 
. Stay safe out there! 
I'm so fed up with these gym scams in January already! It's like everyone's just desperate to get fit and they'll swallow anything that sounds promising without doing their research. Newsflash: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is 
I mean, who needs a tailored training plan when you can just Google some workout routines yourself? 
Can't we all just take a deep breath and think before we click that link or hand over our credit card info? 
, January is already such a stressful time, and now we gotta worry about scammers preying on our New Year's resolutions? It's like, come on, people! 
We know those "too good to be true" ads are often fake, but still, it's annoying when we're just trying to get in shape. The tactics these scammers use are so predictable - urgency, pressure, and altered images of success - they're basically phishing for our money 
.
.
. I mean, who comes up with these fake gym membership ads? 
It's like they think people are just gonna fall for it and not do their research 
. Just take it from me, be super cautious online, especially during peak gym sign-up times 
. And for goodness' sake, don't click on weird links or emails from "gyms" 
. The scammers are getting smarter, but we can't outsmart them! 
, the most common red flags for a fitness scam are:
)
I mean, legit gyms don't promise you'll get abs by the end of Jan. And those "cheap gym memberships" sound like a scam to me... can't they just be upfront about the price? Anyway, always got to be careful online, right? Those fake ads and websites are so convincing, even I'd fall for it 
. And btw, if you think you've been victimized, hit up Action Fraud ASAP... don't wait till it's too late!