You have come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
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 may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.
