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You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products 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 beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority occur on communication platforms and social media. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

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

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

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

Medical authorities have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are properly registered.