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You have heard and read so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel it is time to give it a go in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options instead of obtaining a doctor's script and visiting the chemist. A text message arrives providing a URL to a website with more affordable medication – and requiring no need to go through official channels. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on social media recently, so you decide to go for it.

The problem is these ads are highly likely to be scams. In the best-case scenario, you will be sent no product and lose whatever money you spent. At worst, you obtain a fake version, with unknown ingredients that could lead to serious medical issues.

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

Medical regulators have warned against buying these illegal slimming medications absent a doctor's order from beauty salons, bogus online chemists or via digital platforms, saying they might include “harmful substances and other ingredients that could cause genuine injury”.

Recent statistics from a high street bank show a sharp rise in the quantity of clients who have been affected by the scam. According to the bank, the total sum lost to fraudulent activities involving slimming jabs, pens, pills and fat-dissolving products between July and September this year, was over twice the total sum lost in the prior quarter. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are actively exploiting people’s insecurities and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in the past few months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

How It Appears

Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. Across platforms, an account may imitate the company that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in text or brand marks.

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

As the price of certain authentic slimming injections, has increased of late, the fraudsters will price their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unapproved vendors on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and psychological toll,” warns the security specialist.

Recommended Actions

As with all scams, the wise saying holds true: should something seem overly advantageous, then it probably is.

Medical authorities have warned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications via the web. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist with a valid script provided by a medical practitioner, they advise. When procured from other sources, they may pose significant dangers to health.

Fraudsters can expend considerable effort to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an online pharmacy based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the medicines oversight organisation to confirm they are correctly licensed.