You've come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
