You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
