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You've come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Health authorities have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.

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

As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

What to do

As with all scams, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.