Fraudsters' Fake Goods 'May Lead to Serious Damage'
You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.
The messages or updates 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 recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued 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 make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.
