If you’re shopping for medication on the Internet, you probably want to save money, not lose it. So if you get a call from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) busting you for an international purchase, just hang up.
The FDA says scam artists claiming to be “FDA special agents” have been phoning people and threatening them with prison if they don’t cough up a pile of cash, typically thousands of dollars. (Don’t be fooled if the phone number looks like the caller is in the United States—the FDA says the scammers are hiding the numbers by calling from cell phones or computers “ported” to other computers.)
The targets are generally people who have already been the victims of credit card fraud, or who have purchased drugs on the Internet or over the phone. The FDA’s statement also includes a reminder “to purchase prescription drugs only from licensed pharmacies located in the United States.”
But what about the fact that pharmaceutical companies often charge higher prices for drugs in America than they do for the exact same ones sold in, say, Canada?
With U.S medication prices often double those in other countries, consumers will most likely continue to buy prescriptions from Canadian pharmacies. In some cases, they face well-known hazards, such as paying for drugs that never appear, getting adulterated meds, and now, it seems, scam artists.
Everyone should be cautious when ordering medication off the Internet. But there’s one thing you shouldn’t worry about—the FDA knocking on your door.
“The public should note that no FDA official will ever contact a consumer by phone demanding money or any other form of payment,” Michael Chappell, the FDA’s acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, said in a statement.
Good to know.
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