You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, 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 merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
