You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters 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 take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
