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You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.

But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the 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 entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent 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 company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

The messages or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.

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 highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.