You've heard and read so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
