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You've heard and read a great deal regarding the use of weight loss injections 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 there are other options rather than obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a site with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate official channels. You also noticed a similar ad on online platforms the other day, so you decide to take the plunge.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent nothing and lose whatever money you paid. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has resulted in a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and deceptive practices established to merely steal people’s money.

Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via social media, stating they might include “toxins and other ingredients which may provoke real harm”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities involving weight loss injections, injector pens, tablets and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September this year, was more than double the overall amount lost in the prior quarter. The average scam sets back sufferers £120, it says.

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

What it looks like

Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, an account may imitate the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be slight variations in text or logos.

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

With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, rose of late, the fraudsters will price their “item” more cheaply.

“Buying from unverified sellers on the internet can entail a significant financial, health-related and emotional cost,” warns the fraud expert.

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As with all scams, 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 buying medicines via the web. They should only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they may pose significant dangers to health.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, it's possible to verify the website of the medicines oversight organisation to ensure this is correctly licensed.