You have heard and read 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 festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says 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 there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers 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 online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
