You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
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 amount of money lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions 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 people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.