You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. 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 confirm they are properly registered.
