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You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or logos.

The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

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

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have warned 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 medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.

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 online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are correctly licensed.