You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy 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 make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
