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You have come across a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

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

How It Appears

The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.

These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

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

Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.