Mandaue call center raided for fake medicines

CEBU CITY—Police on Monday raided a call center in Mandaue City that was allegedly acting as an agent for the sale of fake medicines online and violating laws against the use of the Internet for illegal trading.

Members of the police Anti-Transnational and Cyber Crimes Division and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group conducted the raid on the office of 7/24 Care Inc. at the AD Gothong IT Center Building in Mandaue City on the strength of a search warrant issued by Executive Judge Marino Dela Cruz Jr. of the Manila Regional Trial Court.

The police team, based in Camp Crame, downloaded data from the firm’s server showing records of sales and customer identities.

Police applied for the search warrant after a multinational drug firm, Pfizer, complained that 7/24 has been facilitating the sale of fake Viagra, a medicine for erectile dysfunction.

Dominador Cafe, 7/24 lawyer, said the firm operates only as a call center and is not involved in selling medicines.

Cafe said the firm sells insurance policies, not medicines. The firm lost so much money as a result of the raid, Cafe said.

The company website said 7/24 offers services like taking clients’ orders, travel bookings and others. It didn’t specify what kind of orders it takes from clients.

Police stopped at least 100 employees of the call center from leaving the 7/24 premises, triggering a verbal tussle between Cafe and members of the raiding team.

Police seized a server, LCD monitor, keyboard and other items from the call center office. Data from the server, that contain records of sales and customer identities, were submitted for examination by the police’s regional digital forensic laboratory in Barangay Lahug here.

Police said an investigation is still ongoing on who the sources of the medicines are and where these are being stored.