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 holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
