Fraudsters' Fake Goods 'May Lead to Real Harm'
You've heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate 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”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
