You have heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
