You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
