You've come across 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. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. 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 internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
