You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
