You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
