You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, 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, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks 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 online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.