You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site 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 website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
