You've come across so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: 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 via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.
