You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers 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 online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
