You've heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients 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 stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
