You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
