You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal 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 via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
