You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines 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 can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
