You have 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. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
