You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
