You've heard and read so much about people using 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 expense.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
