Fraudsters' Fake Goods 'May Lead to Serious Damage'
You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
