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You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to navigate official channels. And you saw a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is such promotions are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and forfeit any funds you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams involving weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was more than double the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

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

The messages or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Buying from unapproved vendors on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to health.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are correctly licensed.