You have come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
