🔗 Share this article

You've come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices established to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but you'll often notice slight variations in text or logos.

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

With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a serious financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.