You've heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
