You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement 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 nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
