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 holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
