You've come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, 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, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
