You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
