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You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.

But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.