You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile 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.
