You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media 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 nothing and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
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 total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
