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You have come across so much 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. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate 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 warned against buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , 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 health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

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

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.