You've come across 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 cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain 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 fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, 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 purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
