Hundreds hit by alleged Net drug scam-Consumers say they never authorized withdrawals

A Web site promising discounted prescription drugs from Canada has been taking thousands of dollars from checking accounts around the United States -- but the account owners say they'd never even heard of the service until they spotted the transaction on their bank statements PharmacyCards.com claims to offer 80 percent drug discounts and lists an address in West Vancouver, British Columbia as its home. But the phone number listed on the site goes to a third-party firm in Montreal and the real company at the B.C. address, Accutype, said it had never heard of PharmacyCards.com. The company actually processing the checks, Interbill, said it stopped accepting payments for the Web site in the middle of last week after receiving numerous complaints. Canadian authorities are investigating, and the Federal Trade Commission says it has received complaints about the site from Canadian authorities. The U.S. Secret Service is also investigating, according to Accutype. How many people were caught up in the alleged scam is unclear, but in nearly every case, victims report that PharmacyCards.com somehow managed to withdraw $139 from their checking accounts. "I had never heard of them," said Melissa Rozecki of New Jersey. "Then one day when I was checking my bank balance online I saw an "automatic debit" for $139 ... I wish I could tell you how they did it." Vancouver's Better Business Bureau, which has given the company an "unsatisfactory" rating, said it has received 335 inquiries about PharmacyCards.com. A consumer complaint Web site, RipoffReport.com http://ripoffreport.com/, said it has received over 700 e-mails related to the company. From Vancouver, to Montreal, to Florida, to India Accutype, the company whose West Vancouver address is listed on PharmacyCards.com's domain registration, offers secretarial and basic mail services. It has no relationship with PharmacyCards, said employee Chrisy Bux, but mail addressed to that firm began arriving in February. Her company is returning most of the mail to senders, she said, adding that the U.S. Secret Service had recently visited the store as part of its investigation into PharmacyCards.