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You've heard and read a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable medication – and with no need to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to take the plunge.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. 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 counterfeit products entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “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 affected by the fraud. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, it says.

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

How It Appears

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

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

With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose recently, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, medical 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.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to health.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, you can check the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.