You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
