You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through 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 lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile 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 correctly licensed.
