UNODC Launches New Consumer Awareness Campaign Emphasizing the Organized Crime Element Present in Counterfeiting.
New campaign, “Counterfeit: Don’t Buy Into Organized Crime” addresses the dangers posed to consumers who purchase medicine that turns out to be counterfeit.
“Counterfeit: Don’t Buy Into Organized Crime,” the new consumer awareness campaign launched today by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), points out the links to be found between organized crime and the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit drugs. They describe fraudulent medicine as “big business” noting the sale of fake drugs “from East Asia to South-East Asia and Africa amounts to some $5 billion per year.”
The UNODC also points out that all manner of medications, from “ordinary painkillers” to “life-saving medicines including those for the treatment of cancer and heart disease” have been counterfeited with no regard for patient safety.
The UNODC makes clear, “At the very least, fraudulent medicines have been found to contain no active ingredients, while at their worst they can contain unknown and potentially harmful chemicals.”
But organized criminals don’t just sell counterfeit medicines, they also engage in credit card fraud, identity theft, and extortion through an extensive organizational structure called an affiliate network. The DEA has issued a warning to the public to beware of criminals posing as DEA agents over the phone in order to get personal information. This is the result of a case in Phoenix where a woman was harassed by such criminals after making a purchase via an online pharmacy, reports MyFoxPhoenix.
Learn ways to stay safe while purchasing medications affordably.