You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
