You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
