You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
