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 festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers 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
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
