You've heard and read 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. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
