You have heard and read so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.
