You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
