In great world news, an Israeli startup recently helped uncover an international fake Viagra scheme involving a Chinese company, a large credit-clearing company and none other than the FBI.

Israeli ecommerce security company EverC approached the project after the US administration asked the credit-clearing company to take steps to combat online trade of devices that create fake drugs.

Harnessing the power of AI, network scanners and big data analysis, EverC created a model that led the company’s investigators to a Chinese company that supplies stamping machines used to fake Viagra pills, ADHD medication and Ecstasy.

In the process of locating the stamping-machine supplier, it was possible to identify over 1,000 websites selling the counterfeit drugs, and to map their IP addresses, physical addresses and phone numbers. This then allowed the credit-clearing company to identify the customers who bought the machines, passing on the information to the FBI for further investigation.

“We learned a whole lot about this under-the-radar industry,” says Amit Kushmirak, director of professional services at EverC.

“The price of a pill-stamping machine ranges between $9,000 and $17,000 on the black market, but they generate huge profits for the buyers thanks to the large scope of forgery carried out using them.”

EverC operates in Israel, the US, Europe and China. It has some 170 employees, 120 of them based in Israel. Its customers include financial establishments, payment service providers and ecommerce websites that are required to prevent fraud from occurring using their systems.