Extortion alert

The following alert was recently published on the FDA site. You have to be careful if you are going to buy prescription drugs over the Internet or by phone. Be aware that the FDA never contacts consumers by phone for money or payment.

Beware of Extortion Scam by FDA Impersonators

Several instances have been reported to FDA of calls enticing consumers to purchase discounted prescription drugs by wiring funds to one of several locations in the Dominican Republic. No medications are ever delivered.

A subsequent call is received from a fraudulent "FDA special agent" informing the consumer that a fine of several thousand dollars is required to be sent to an address in the Dominican Republic to prevent incarceration or other legal action.

Though the fraudulent calls appear to be from telephone numbers located within the United States, they are from either ported voice-over-the-Internet-protocol numbers (calls made directly from a computer and moved or "ported" to other computers to avoid detection) or cellular phones.

At least attempts at extortion and embezzlement over the phone do not entail physical abuse like workplace violence or beatings. That's not much of a consolation to a victim, though.