You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
