You've come across so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
