You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
