Fraudsters' Counterfeit Goods 'Could Cause Serious Damage'
You have come across so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics 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 amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims ÂŁ120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained 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.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
