You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
