You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
