You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing 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 legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” 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 warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, 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 internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
