You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
