You've heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
