Fake online Tamiflu sales on rise

Online sales of counterfeit Tamiflu to panicking Britons could have helped Russian crime gangs earn millions, it has been claimed.

Residents who fear they may not get the drug through the NHS could be making overseas criminals richer and also putting themselves at risk of identity fraud, computer security firm Sophos found.

Organised criminal networks are driving online shoppers to dodgy virtual pharmacies, the firm's research found.

Graham Cluley of Sophos said: "As more and more cases of swine flu in the UK come to light, it is essential that we all resist the panic-induced temptation to purchase Tamiflu online.

"The criminal gangs working behind the scenes at fake internet pharmacies are putting their customers' health and personal information at risk."

Investigators believe thousands of fraudsters, mostly based in Russia, work tirelessly to run the con network, earning between 10,000 pounds and 60,000 pounds every day.

A Department of Health spokesman said: "There is no need to jump the queue. They are free on the NHS and being offered to all who need them.

"Anyone who buys medicines from internet sites could be in danger of receiving counterfeit or substandard medicines."

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