You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script 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 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 website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
