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You have heard and read 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. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist instead of getting a prescription and going to the pharmacy. An SMS comes through giving a link to a site with much cheaper medication – and with no necessity to go through official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on online platforms recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly fraudulent schemes. At best, you will be sent no product and forfeit any funds you paid. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate slimming drugs has led to a rise in fake goods entering circulation and deceptive practices set up to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or through digital platforms, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a significant surge in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through scams related to slimming jabs, pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions during the third quarter this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with these scams skyrocketing in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority occur on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the brand that you are looking for, but you'll often notice subtle differences in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or updates will often use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of some legitimate slimming injections, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Buying from unapproved vendors online can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” says the security specialist.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: if it appears too good to be true, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when buying medicines via the web. They should solely be acquired from a licensed chemist with a valid script issued by a healthcare professional, it says. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals 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, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.