You have come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page 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 ensure this is correctly licensed.
