You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority 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.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
