You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should 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 go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
