You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
