Fraudsters' Fake Goods 'May Lead to Serious Damage'
You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.
But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.
Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.
“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.
The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.
“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.
What to do
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.
