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You have come across a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel the moment has come to give it a go ahead of the festive season. However, the issue lies in cost.

Yet it appears there are other options instead of getting a prescription and going to the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and with no need to go through proper procedures. You also noticed a similar ad on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you spent. In the worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to severe health problems.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a increase in fake goods hitting the market and scams set up to simply take consumers' cash.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from aesthetic clinics, bogus online chemists or through social media, saying they might include “harmful substances and additional components that could cause genuine injury”.

New figures from a high street bank show a significant surge in the number of customers who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the amount of money lost to scams involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Scammers are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with such frauds skyrocketing in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

The majority take place on messaging apps and social media. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or brand marks.

These communications or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “time-sensitive deal”, “special promotion” or “complimentary gift”.

With the cost of certain authentic weight loss jabs, rose of late, the scammers will set the cost of their “item” lower.

“Buying from unverified sellers online can come at a serious financial, health-related and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.

What to do

Like any deceptive scheme, the wise saying applies: if it appears too good to be true, it likely isn't genuine.

Health regulators have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. They should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy using a prescription provided by a healthcare professional, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present serious risks to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or social media page appear completely genuine. Should they state to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure they are properly registered.