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You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.

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

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.