You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. 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 resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.