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You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of authentic weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.