You have come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
