Scammers' Fake Products 'May Lead to Serious Damage'
You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.
The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.
Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.
“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will often 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 fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.
What to do
As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.
