Fraudsters' Fake Goods 'Could Cause Serious Damage'
You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.
Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.
