You have heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. 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 confirm this is correctly licensed.
