You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.
These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
