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You've come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.

But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

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

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.

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

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.