You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, 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 messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. 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 may pose serious risks to health.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
