You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting 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
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
