You have come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, 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 online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
