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You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.

The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription 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 appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.