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You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” says 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 you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

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

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

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can entail a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.

What to do

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

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.