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You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via digital platforms, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on messaging apps and social media. On socials, an account 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 frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks 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 internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is properly registered.