You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying 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 buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
