You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription 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 design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
