You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.
