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You have heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

The majority occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations 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”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

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 cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths 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, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.