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You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.

But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.

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

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose recently, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

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

Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, 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. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.