You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must 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 health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
