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You've heard and read a great deal about people using weight loss injections to lose weight, you feel it is time to give it a go ahead of the festive season. The problem is cost.

Yet it appears alternatives exist rather than obtaining a doctor's script and going to the pharmacy. An SMS comes through providing a URL to a website with much cheaper drugs – and with no necessity to navigate proper procedures. You also noticed a comparable advertisement on online platforms the other day, prompting you to take the plunge.

The catch is these ads are highly likely to be fraudulent schemes. In the best-case scenario, you'll receive nothing and lose any funds you spent. At worst, you obtain a counterfeit item, with unknown ingredients which may result in severe health problems.

The popularity of legitimate weight loss medications has resulted in a rise in fake goods entering circulation and scams set up to merely steal consumers' cash.

Medical regulators have warned against purchasing these illegal slimming medications without a prescription from aesthetic clinics, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they might include “toxins and additional components which may provoke real harm”.

New figures from a high street bank reveal a sharp rise in the quantity of customers who have been affected by the fraud. According to the bank, the total sum lost to scams related to weight loss injections, injector pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the overall amount stolen in the prior quarter. Each incident typically costs victims £120, reports indicate.

“Fraudsters are deliberately targeting people’s insecurities and health concerns, with these scams soaring in recent months,” notes a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most occur on communication platforms and social networks. On socials, a profile may mimic the company that you are looking for, but there will typically be subtle differences in text or brand marks.

These communications or updates will frequently use urgency-laden phrases such as “limited-time offer”, “special promotion” or “free giveaway”.

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

“Purchasing from unverified sellers on the internet can come at a serious financial, medical and emotional cost,” says the security specialist.

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Like any deceptive scheme, the old adage applies: should something seem overly advantageous, it likely isn't genuine.

Medical authorities have cautioned people to be extremely cautious when purchasing medications online. These products must solely be acquired from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, it says. When procured from other sources, they can present serious risks to wellbeing.

Criminals can expend considerable effort to design their webpage or online profile appear completely genuine. If they claim 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.