You've heard and read so much regarding the use of 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 cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.
