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You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.

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

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals 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, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.