Scammers' Fake Products 'May Lead to Serious Damage'
You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.
The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.
Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “product” lower.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.
