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You have come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or brand marks.

The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

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

Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile 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 confirm this is properly registered.