You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
