You have heard and read so much 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. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice 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”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, 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 registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, 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, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
