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You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to lose weight, it feels like the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is expense.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the pharmacy. A text message comes through providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no necessity to navigate proper procedures. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are almost certainly scams. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The widespread use of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a increase in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or through social media, stating they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum lost to scams related to slimming jabs, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was more than double the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically sets back sufferers £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” notes a bank’s head of fraud.

What it looks like

The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. Across platforms, a profile may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or logos.

These communications or posts will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “complimentary gift”.

As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications via the web. They should solely be acquired from a registered pharmacy using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an online pharmacy located within Great Britain, it's possible to verify the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to ensure they are properly registered.