The FAMHP was confronted with a case of identity theft whereby company details where abused for the illegal obtention of drug precursors.
Precursors
Drug precursors are substances which can be used in illicit manufacture of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Identity theft
The Precursors Team of the FAMHP has recently been affected by a case of identity theft. An individual using a false FAMHP email address and a false telephone number requested a copy of an operator’s approval/registration. This person was probably trying to use these details to divert the substances in question onto the black market.
Watch out
The FAMHP would particularly like to draw your attention to the following potential scenarios:
- Requests for copies of FAMHP approvals/registrations
The FAMHP already holds copies of your approval/registration. Our staff will therefore never ask you for new copies. In case of any doubt, please contact us via drugprecursor@fagg-afmps.be or by telephone on +32 2 528 40 00.
- Unusual questions and/or orders placed by registered operators
For example unusual orders placed by telephone using an email address not normally associated with the operator (for example the domain extension .be replaced by .net or .info), requests to deliver products to unusual locations (e.g. abroad), or presentation of a copy of an approval/registration that seems out of the ordinary. In these situations, please contact us at drugprecursor@fagg-afmps.be to check whether or not the order is suspicious.
Multiple risks
We are seeing more and more cases of identity theft. The practice is clearly on the increase, not only in Belgium but across the European Union. If you work on an invoicing basis, you run a serious risk of never being paid. There is a real risk of damage to the reputation of your corporate brand if the substances delivered find their way onto the black market. The products supplied disappear into the underworld, where they are used by criminals to produce drugs (heroin, cocaine, MDMA/ecstasy, etc.), with all the social consequences that this entails.
More information
Precursors