🔗 Share this article

You have come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.

But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.

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

As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page 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 pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.