You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
