You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic 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 pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
