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You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. A text message comes through giving a link to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no need to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. In the worst, you receive a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams established to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding buying such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

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

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a serious monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns 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 cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to health.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.