You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few 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 seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
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 weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
