You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients 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 between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks 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 based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.
