[Scam Alert] Illegal Online Sale of Prescription Abortion Pills
Buying prescription drugs online is always risky regardless of whether you have a prescription or not. We have outlined these risks previously in our article about Online Pharmacy Scams, which include getting caught by law enforcement and receiving counterfeit drugs that can lead to lifelong health problems.
At ScamAdviser, we have noticed a scary trend of prescription drugs being sold online illegally for enabling abortions at home. We came across one such website - abortionpill247.com - selling drugs such as Mifepristone and Misoprostol without even requiring a prescription.
While the site tries to give the appearance that it is an American business, it seems quite clear that the store is actually being operated from India. Not only are the drugs being sold on the site of Indian origin, but the domain registration data also shows that the site was created from India.
Clicking on the ‘WhatsApp Us’ button on the website also makes it glaringly obvious that the business is run from India.
Analyzing DNS data gathered by DomainCrawler, we found that there are at least 8 other websites hosted on the same server. DNS information, specifically information on IP addresses, makes it possible to find websites that might belong to one owner.
Even though thousands of websites of different owners can have the same IP address when shared hosting is used, often sites with the same IP belong to one entity. This is especially true if there are not many of them as we see in the case of abortionpill247.com, where there are only nine domains on a single IP address.
Using the ‘Related Domains’ feature powered by DomainCrawler, we were able to identify 8 other websites hosted on the same server, implying that they may be related in some way, such as having the same owner.
Out of these, 4 websites are actively selling prescription abortion pills. Three of these sites - bestabortionpillonline.com, mtpkitmeds.com and netmeds247.com are also being operated from India.
These sites, too, are trying to create a facade of being based in the USA, but not only their domain data retrieved by DomainCrawler indicates India as a country of origin, also they provide Indian phone numbers for customer support.
They are running their business so openly that even apps like TrueCaller clearly display names like ‘Abortion Pills’.
Mtpkitmeds.com also claims that ‘we are delivering abortion pills from last 8 years around the globe’ even though the website is barely a year old.
Netmeds247.com even claims to have doctors on board. However, it does not seem like these are real people as the pictures are stock images. The names also appear to be fake as a male name has been used next to the image of a female.
There are only three reviews available for these sites, from which two claim that the site is a scam while the third is a positive review praising the site’s ‘customer care executive’.
The fourth site - mifeprexusa.com - varies slightly as the domain registration information shows that it is registered under the name of ‘INTERNATIONAL EVANGELIST RICHARD ASAMOAH AGYEMAN’ from Denver, Colorado.
A simple Google search for this name brings up a post on Stop419Scams.com containing a long list of similar sites illegally selling prescription abortion pills. You can view the thread containing the full list here.
The post also contains the link to a press release by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about a woman from New York being sentenced for illegally smuggling these pills into the country.
All this information put together paints a shocking picture of prescription drugs for abortion being sold online openly and illegally through a network of hundreds of sites.
Needless to say, it is not a wise idea to engage with such online pharmacies, especially for something as serious as abortion. You never know what you’re getting and you could end up with potentially fatal medical complications if the wrong drugs are administered.
Report a Scam!
Have you fallen for a hoax, bought a fake product? Report the site and warn others!
Scam Categories
Help & Info
Popular Stories
As the influence of the internet rises, so does the prevalence of online scams. There are fraudsters making all kinds of claims to trap victims online - from fake investment opportunities to online stores - and the internet allows them to operate from any part of the world with anonymity. The ability to spot online scams is an important skill to have as the virtual world is increasingly becoming a part of every facet of our lives. The below tips will help you identify the signs which can indicate that a website could be a scam. Common Sense: Too Good To Be True When looking for goods online, a great deal can be very enticing. A Gucci bag or a new iPhone for half the price? Who wouldn’t want to grab such a deal? Scammers know this too and try to take advantage of the fact. If an online deal looks too good to be true, think twice and double-check things. The easiest way to do this is to simply check out the same product at competing websites (that you trust). If the difference in prices is huge, it might be better to double-check the rest of the website. Check Out the Social Media Links Social media is a core part of ecommerce businesses these days and consumers often expect online shops to have a social media presence. Scammers know this and often insert logos of social media sites on their websites. Scratching beneath the surface often reveals this fu
So the worst has come to pass - you realise you parted with your money too fast, and the site you used was a scam - what now? Well first of all, don’t despair!! If you think you have been scammed, the first port of call when having an issue is to simply ask for a refund. This is the first and easiest step to determine whether you are dealing with a genuine company or scammers. Sadly, getting your money back from a scammer is not as simple as just asking. If you are indeed dealing with scammers, the procedure (and chance) of getting your money back varies depending on the payment method you used. PayPal Debit card/Credit card Bank transfer Wire transfer Google Pay Bitcoin PayPal If you used PayPal, you have a strong chance of getting your money back if you were scammed. On their website, you can file a dispute within 180 calendar days of your purchase. Conditions to file a dispute: The simplest situation is that you ordered from an online store and it has not arrived. In this case this is what PayPal states: "If your order never shows up and the seller can't provide proof of shipment or delivery, you'll get a full refund. It's that simple." The scammer has sent you a completely different item. For example, you ordered a PlayStation 4, but instead received only a Playstation controller. The condition of the item was misrepresented on the product page. This could be the