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You've come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to lose weight, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, 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 hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics 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 total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.

The messages or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present 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 online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is correctly licensed.