You've come across so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
