You've come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
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 drugs – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem 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. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
