You've heard and read so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, 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 entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams 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 costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
