You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.
