You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, 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, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.
