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

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” lower.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

Recommended Actions

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

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.