You have heard and read so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
