You've come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms 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 whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills 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, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
