You've heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
