You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.