You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
