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You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

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

How It Appears

Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the brand that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.

These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will price their “item” lower.

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

Recommended Actions

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

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.