You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds 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 resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show 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 slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
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 internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
