Fraudsters' Fake Products 'Could Cause Real Harm'

You have come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing 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 high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.

The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort 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 online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.