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You've come across a great deal about people using slimming jabs to get slim, it feels like the moment has come to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. An SMS arrives giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components that could lead to serious medical issues.

The widespread use 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 warned against purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, saying they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of clients who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was more than double the total sum lost in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams soaring in recent months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

The majority take place on communication platforms and social media. On socials, a profile may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or logos.

The messages or posts will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, medical and emotional cost,” warns the security specialist.

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Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are correctly licensed.