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You have come across so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel it is time to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, saying they could contain “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

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

These communications or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

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As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.

Health regulators have warned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is properly registered.