You've come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
