You have come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities 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 “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
