You've come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort 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 medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
