You've heard and read so much 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. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers 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 networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem 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 only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
