You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. 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 resulted in a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says 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 warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.
