You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit 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 weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money 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. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
