You've come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
