You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no need 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 highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
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Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
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, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. 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 confirm they are correctly licensed.
