You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort 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, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
