You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.
