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You've heard and read so much about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most take place on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

The messages or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.