🔗 Share this article

You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic weight loss medications has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

The messages or updates will often 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 price their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

As with all scams, the old adage 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 via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.