You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.
The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, 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 based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.
