You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal 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 digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
