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You have heard and read so much regarding the use of slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the holiday period. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and requiring no necessity to go through official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on social media the other day, prompting you to go for it.

The catch is such promotions are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, containing unspecified components which may result in serious medical issues.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs 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 absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a major retail bank show a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the fraud. The bank says, the amount of money lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, injector pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

Most occur on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, an account may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.

The messages or updates will often use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

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

What to do

As with all scams, the wise saying applies: if it appears overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. These products must solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy with a valid script provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm this is correctly licensed.