You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams 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 digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
