You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. 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 ensure this is correctly licensed.
