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You've come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.

Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.

These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.