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You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.