You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
