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You have come across so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. At best, you'll receive no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Health authorities have warned against buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, stating they could contain “toxins and additional components which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

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

What it looks like

Most 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 slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

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

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” lower.

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a significant monetary, health-related and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

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As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, 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 licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional, it says. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile 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 they are properly registered.