You have heard and read so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers 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
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
