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You've come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. 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,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related 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 highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.

Fraudsters 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 based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.