You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.
