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You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no need to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a increase in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

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

How It Appears

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

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

As the price of some legitimate slimming injections, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure this is properly registered.