You've heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page 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.
