You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
