Fraudsters' Fake Goods 'Could Cause Serious Damage'
You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.
Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.
The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.
The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.
Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims ÂŁ120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.
What it looks like
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be 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”.
With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.
“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.
Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.
