You have come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.
The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
