You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.
