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You've heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

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

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.

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As with all scams, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.