You've come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
