You have 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 in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
