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You've come across so much about people using slimming jabs to get slim, you feel the moment has come to try them out in the run-up to the festive season. The problem is cost.

But it seems there are other options rather than getting a prescription and visiting the chemist. A text message comes through providing a URL to a site with more affordable drugs – and requiring no necessity to navigate official channels. And you saw a comparable advertisement on social media recently, prompting you to go for it.

The problem is these ads are almost certainly scams. At best, you will be sent nothing and forfeit whatever money you paid. At worst, you receive a fake version, with unknown ingredients which may result in serious medical issues.

The popularity of authentic slimming drugs has led to a rise in counterfeit products hitting the market and scams set up to simply take people’s money.

Health authorities have advised avoiding purchasing such unlawful weight loss medicines without a prescription from beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or via social media, saying they could contain “toxins and additional components that could cause real harm”.

New figures from a major retail bank show a sharp rise in the number of customers who have been impacted by the scam. The bank says, the total sum stolen through fraudulent activities related to slimming jabs, pens, pills and lipid-reducing solutions between July and September , was over twice the total sum stolen in the previous three months. The average scam costs victims £120, it says.

“Scammers are actively exploiting individuals' self-doubts and medical worries, with such frauds soaring in recent months,” says a financial institution's fraud prevention lead.

What it looks like

Most take place on messaging apps and social networks. Across platforms, a profile may mimic the brand that you seek, but there will typically be slight variations in spelling or logos.

The messages or updates will frequently use pressure-inducing language such as “limited-time offer”, “exclusive deal” or “free giveaway”.

With the cost of some legitimate weight loss jabs, has increased recently, the fraudsters will set the cost of their “product” more cheaply.

“Purchasing from unverified sellers online can come at a serious monetary, medical and psychological toll,” says the fraud expert.

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

Health regulators have cautioned people to be highly vigilant when purchasing medications online. These products must only be obtained from a licensed chemist using a prescription issued by a medical practitioner, they advise. If sourced elsewhere, they can present significant dangers to wellbeing.

Criminals can go to great lengths to make their site or online profile look as authentic as possible. If they claim to be an internet-based chemist based in Great Britain, you can check the online portal of the pharmaceutical regulatory body to confirm they are properly registered.