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You have heard and read 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 expense.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a website with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a major retail 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 related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

Most occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or logos.

The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can entail a significant monetary, medical and emotional cost,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

As with all scams, the old adage holds true: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose serious risks to health.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.