You have come across so much 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 cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen 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 recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. 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 may pose significant dangers to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
