You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.