Fraudsters' Fake Products 'May Lead to Serious Damage'
You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.
The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.
Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.
New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.
“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
How It Appears
Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.
“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a serious monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.
Health regulators 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 provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present 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 online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.
