You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
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 extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
