You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile 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 ensure this is correctly licensed.
