Fake FDA Agents Pursue Consumers for Bogus Drugs

The FDA is warning the public about an international extortion scam by criminals posing as FDA special agents and “fining” consumers who purchased drug online or via telepharmacies. The FDA press release appears below:

FDA Warns Public of Continued Extortion Scam by FDA Impersonators

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about criminals posing as FDA special agents and other law enforcement personnel as part of an international extortion scam.

The criminals call the victims -- who in most cases previously purchased drugs over the Internet or via "telepharmacies" -- and identify themselves as FDA special agents or other law enforcement officials. The criminals inform the victims that purchasing drugs over the Internet or the telephone is illegal, and that law enforcement action will be pursued unless a fine or fee ranging from $100 to $250,000 is paid. Victims often also have fraudulent transactions placed against their credit cards.

The criminals always request the money be sent by wire transfer to a designated location, usually in the Dominican Republic. If victims refuse to send money, they are often threatened with a search of their property, arrest, deportation, physical harm, and or incarceration.

"Impersonating an FDA official is a violation of federal law," said Michael Chappell, the FDA's acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. "The public should note that no FDA official will ever contact a consumer by phone demanding money or any other form of payment.”

FDA special agents and other law enforcement officials are not authorized to impose or collect criminal fines. Only a court can take such action, with fines payable to the U.S. Treasury.

Anyone receiving a telephone call from a person purporting to be an FDA or other law enforcement official who is seeking money to settle a law enforcement action for the illegal purchase of drugs over the Internet should refuse the demand and call the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations Metro Washington Field Office at (800) 521-5783 to report the crime.

In addition to posing as FDA officials, criminals have posed as special agents of the DEA, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs Service, as well as U.S. and Dominican prosecutors and judges. In response, the FDA, in conjunction with various federal, state, and local agencies, is actively pursing criminal charges.

The FDA also reminds consumers to use caution when purchasing prescription drugs over the telephone or the Internet. In addition to the increased risk of purchasing unsafe and ineffective drugs from Web sites operating outside the law, there is the danger that personal data can be compromised.

For more on FDA’s concerns about unlawful drug sales on the Internet, see http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ProtectYourself/default.htm.

Pharmacy Industry and Regulatory Mimic Our Warning During This Flu Epidemic

Earlier this week, XStream warned in several of its blogs about the risks of scammers, spammers and counterfeiters taking advantage of the Swine Flu Pandemic to exploit the public into buying their disreputable fakes and forgeries on-line.

It would appear that now healthcare officials around the globe are similarly offering their own warnings to the public at large. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is offering their warning in an article that appeared in healthcarepublic.com news.

David Pruce, Director of Policy at the RPSGB stated: “ With the current fears about swine flu, we are concerned that unscrupulous people are exploiting the public’s fears about swine flu by offering to sell the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza over the internet. This is a golden opportunity for counterfeiters to offer fake supplies of these drugs. People can be at real risk if they buy medicines from unknown sources.”

As stated before, it is critical that consumers and those within the supply chain use common sense and professional ethics when dealing with this global epidemic. Many are out to scam you with fraudulent product:

1. Only buy from legitimate pharmacies, licensed in your state or country.

2. Do not buy from any on-line pharmacy that does not require a prescription.

3. If the price or deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

4. Professionals within the supply chain should only deal with the drug manufacturers or reputable suppliers.

5. They should have a verified pedigree of the product and verify the authenticity of the drug with a materials identification system.

6. Distributors and Providers should not be accepting returns on these products during this pandemic.

In the 21st century we live in a global economy that is connected at light speed via the internet. There are few barriers to being caught up in these scams outside of your own common sense. Buyer beware!