Scammers' Counterfeit Goods 'Could Cause Real Harm'
You've come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.
The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “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 “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.
Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
