You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters 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 based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
