You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
