You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand 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 “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
