You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
