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You have heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

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

Health authorities have warned against purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.

These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.

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 the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.