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May 28, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
 

Police crack down on prescription medication scam

26 January 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Ankara police cracked down on a prescription medication scam on Monday following an intelligence operation that has tracked 34 people, most of whom are pharmacists, for 11 months.

In an operation named “Square Barcode” (Kare Barkod), police arrested a network of 34 people who have cost the government up to TL 10 million by obtaining and misusing patient data from the Social Security Institution (SGK) and the Health Ministry.

The criminal network obtained the personal information of pharmacy customers, who are required to prove their identity when collecting prescriptions. The stolen identities were subsequently used to purchase expensive prescriptions at pharmacies.

Fake prescriptions were also made out by hospital doctors involved in the scam. Hospital pharmacies are not required to submit the individual barcode of medicines that have been prescribed to the SGK, which made it possible for doctors to write the fake prescriptions.

 
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