You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. 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.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
