Avoid #covidscams - A Partnership for Safe Medicines Public Education Campaign

Avoid #COVIDScams and Counterfeiters: Tips to Purchase Medicine Safely

Ask your pharmacist about how much medicine you should buy: hoarding can create unnecessary shortages.

If you are experiencing hardship contact NeedyMeds, RX Outreach and Medicine Assistance Tool to find patient assistance programs to help you afford your medicines.

If you are buying over the counter or prescription medicine online, buy from a .pharmacy pharmacy. Pharmacies in other countries are not safe, even if they "look safe" to you.

Download our guide, AVOID SCAMS & COUNTERFEITS: Quick Tips to Safely Purchase Medicines Online (in English and Spanish) to learn more, and our #covidscams bookmark, which is a quick reference about five kinds of online crime that have spiked since the coronavirus emerged.

For up to to the minute news, track our coverage about the five types of COVID-19 scams.

Adopt this campaign and help spread the word!

Post our one pager to your website and to social media. Use the hashtag #covidscams to help raise awareness of criminals using the crisis to prey on people. Drop us a note at editors@safemedicines.org to let us know you're helping! Click here for sample tweets.

Tell Congress to kick COVID-19 scammers off the Internet!

Learn more and write congress on our TAKE ACTION page.

#covidscam News

Screenshot of facemaskcenter.com homepage

Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of August 10, 2020

August 17, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: selling fake facemasks to fund ISIS, fake COVID-19 cures and fake prescription drug trafficking.

picture of a pill press

Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of August 3, 2020

August 12, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: COVID-19 fraud, a new DEA initiative to slow the sale of pill presses, and ongoing counterfeit pill news—including charges filed in the death of L.A. Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs.

Jar of radish paste

Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of July 27, 2020

August 3, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: Continuing COVID-19 fraud, counterfeit Botox, and ongoing counterfeit pill news.

FDA Alert: Food and Drug Administration Issues a More Serious Warning About Methanol in Hand Sanitizers

July 27, 2020

The FDA has issued a second, more serious warning about hand sanitizers that have been made with deadly methanol. Their first warning came on July 2, when they warned they had “seen a sharp increase in hand sanitizer products that are labeled to contain ethanol (also known as ethyl alcohol) but that have tested positive for methanol contamination.”

Top view of coffee cans in a box

Counterfeit Medicine News for the Week of July 20, 2020

July 27, 2020

In PSM’s round-up this week: PSM’s statement about drug importation, The Safeguarding Therapeutics Act, continuing COVID-19 fraud, and ongoing counterfeit pill news.