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You have come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, 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 scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.

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

With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

Like any deceptive scheme, 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 extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.