You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned 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 healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
