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You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

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

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

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

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

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.