You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive nothing 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 widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
