You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals 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 medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
