You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place 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 logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
