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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 in the run-up to the holiday period. The problem is expense.

But it seems there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components which may result in severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

How It Appears

The majority take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the scammers will price their “item” lower.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page look as authentic as possible. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in the UK, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is properly registered.