You have come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
