You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, 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 major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing 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, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages 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 “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: 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. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
