You've come across 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.
But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
