🔗 Share this article Scammers' Counterfeit Goods 'Could Cause Real Harm' You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense. Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge. The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues. The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash. Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”. New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate. “Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead. How It Appears The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks. These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”. With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower. “Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert. Recommended Actions Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is. Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing. Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.