You've come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
