There was something wrong with the private recipe. It was suspicious that it was on display in the future – although that can happen from time to time. The prescribing doctor, allegedly a general practitioner from Göppingen, was clearly recognizable as a forgery.
In reality, the doctor was a pediatrician who has since retired. And he used to have his practice above the pharmacy in the Kaiserbau – which the prescription forger had chosen for his first attempt at fraud.
However, owner Domenico La Regina suspected that the prescription forger would try it in other pharmacies and warned his colleagues via a shared WhatsApp group. “Normally there is competition between the pharmacies, but here in Göppingen the pandemic has brought us together,” reports La Regina.
In this case, the network proved its worth: the prescription forger actually turned up in another pharmacy in Göppingen that afternoon. Here he was held up briefly while the team called the police at the same time. A short escape attempt later, the man was arrested.
La Regina has also been in touch with the retired pediatrician. He might prefer to report that fake prescriptions are being issued in his name to avoid misunderstandings.
