Scammers' Fake Goods 'Could Cause Serious Damage'
You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause 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 scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.
