You have come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, 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 via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
