Scammers' Counterfeit Goods 'May Lead to Real Harm'
You have heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.
Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.
The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.
The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.
Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.
New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.
“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.
How It Appears
Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.
The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.
As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” lower.
“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.
Recommended Actions
Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.
Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.
Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.
