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You've come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.

The problem is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

These communications or posts will often use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will price their “product” more cheaply.

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

What to do

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 purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.