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You've come across so much regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or posts will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can entail a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

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Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.