You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. 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 resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
