You've heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting 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, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
