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You've heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like it is time to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives giving a link to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they could contain “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to weight loss injections, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the brand that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.

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

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.

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

What to do

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

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.