You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers 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 internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.
