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You have come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.

The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can entail a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

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

Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.