Fraudsters' Fake Products 'Could Cause Real Harm'

You have heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

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 stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, 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. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

What to do

As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.