You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
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 the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
