You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
