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You've come across a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

The messages or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.