You've come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.
