You have heard and read so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement 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'll receive no product and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, 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 issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
