You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.
