You have come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
