Bing hosting spam ads for counterfeit drugs
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Microsoft's Bing search engine hosts sponsored ads for online pharmacies of the type that generate spam to sell drugs illegally, according to a report from LegitScript.com, an online pharmacy verification service, and KnujOn.com, an internet compliance company.
The websites issued a report saying that an analysis of sponsored search results for internet pharmacies displayed on bing.com turned up ads that were nearly 90 percent for spam internet pharmacies that could be connected to organized crime.
Most of pharmacy advertisements analyzed in the report did not require a valid prescription or age verification and the authors obtained counterfeit and prescription drugs through the advertised sites, the report said.
"We were able to purchase potentially addictive drugs without a prescription or any age verification via bing.com ads. We also received counterfeit medication," said LegitScript President John Horton. "Microsoft profits from these illegal ads, which put internet users at risk."
KnujOn, an anti-spam company that says it has removed over 100,000 spam websites from the web, said the spam pharmacy sites are typically connected "organized crime and vast illicit drug networks, many of them based in Russia and Eastern Europe."
The two companies said they "urge Microsoft to fix this problem."
Microsoft told IDG News that "we take these claims very seriously and are currently investigating this issue."
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