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You have come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS arrives providing a URL to a website with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a similar ad on social media the other day, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is such promotions are highly likely to be scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

The widespread use of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams established to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding buying such unlawful slimming medications without a prescription from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or through digital platforms, stating they could contain “harmful substances and additional components which may provoke real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the quantity of clients who have been impacted by the fraud. According to the bank, the amount of money lost to scams related to weight loss injections, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, an account may mimic the company that you are looking for, 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, has increased recently, the fraudsters will price their “item” lower.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” warns the fraud expert.

What to do

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 online. These products must only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Fraudsters can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist located within the UK, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm this is correctly licensed.