You have come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose 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 internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
