You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing 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. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
