You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
