You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.
