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You have come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections 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 instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or brand marks.

The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the wise saying applies: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.