You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.
