You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting 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 communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.
