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You have heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is expense.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.

The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.

These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will price their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.