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You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to try them out ahead of the holiday period. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper drugs – and requiring no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is such promotions are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, containing unspecified components that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to simply take people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank reveal a significant surge in the number of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most take place on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in text or logos.

The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.

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As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem too good to be true, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.