You have heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, 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 there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
