You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of 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 necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
