You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit 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 increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, 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 only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, 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 located within the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
