You've heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.
These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. 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 can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.
