You have come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
