You have come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal 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, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
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 issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
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 located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
