You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is 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 website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum 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 such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
