SO GLAD YOU ASKED: “Is this medication abortion provider a scam???”
By Robin of Sex Sense
Hey there! I’m Robin, and I use they/them pronouns. I am a Sex Sense Sexpert and lately, people have been calling us asking about online medication abortion providers that they’ve heard about from AI chatbots. We’re SO GLAD THEY ASKED us instead of believing everything AI chatbots are saying. Today, we’ll answer: “Is this medication abortion provider a scam?” and let you know how to access legitimate, safe abortion care. Sex Sense answers all types of questions about sex, sexual health, and sexuality, and we can be reached Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 1-800-739-7367 or by email by visiting SexSense.org.
Sex Sense is aware of a scam involving medication abortions (which people sometimes call “abortion pills”). Some of the scam websites also refer to medication abortion pills as an “unwanted kit” or a “safe abortion kit.”
These scam websites claim that they are selling medication abortion pills (mifepristone and misoprostol), but those pills might not be what they say they are. These websites are also unlikely to be operated by licensed healthcare professionals, who can assess whether medication abortion is appropriate based on gestational age and contraindications, and provide necessary follow-up care.
One caller let us know that the pills they took from one of these sites didn’t work, and they required medical care, including an in-clinic/procedural abortion. Other people have reported that the websites say they charge about $95 for the pills, but couriers have shown up at callers’ homes demanding $450. Another caller told us about strange, demanding text messages going back and forth.
ChatGPT and other AI chatbots are recommending these illegitimate abortion providers that do not offer legitimate medical care or regulated, Canadian-approved medication.
In Canada, it is illegal to sell unauthorized medication, including pills imported from another country, as those pills haven’t passed Health Canada regulations and might pose serious health risks. The pills that people can order from these sites are usually from an undisclosed location overseas, but, again, they might not be what they say they are. These unregulated medications could be expired, fake, or contain harmful ingredients that aren’t on the label and aren’t safe for humans. Health Canada has issued a warning against taking medication abortion pills ordered from scam websites and warns people about one illegitimate provider in particular, Dr. Pooja. Sex Sense has been alerted to a number of other similar websites with different “doctor” names, and we were not able to find these doctors listed as being licensed healthcare providers.
These illegitimate medication abortion clinics say they:
- prescribe medication abortions via WhatsApp
- have the pills delivered to the patient by courier, or that the pills are available for pickup somewhere that’s not a pharmacy
These illegitimate medication abortion clinics:
- charge fees for pills, but don’t provide any medical care (like testing, guidance, or follow-up care)
- don’t have a real address (you can look at the buildings where they claim to be located by using Google Street View)
- don’t list doctors’ first and last names
Here’s what you need to know about medication abortion in BC:
- To access abortion care in Canada, make an appointment with a licensed abortion provider (you can look up medical doctors, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses to confirm they are licensed on the regulating bodies’ webpages*).
- Medication abortion pills are FREE for people with British Columbia MSP (provincial healthcare, the Medical Services Plan). Abortion care is generally also free in Canada if someone has other provincial or territorial healthcare—you can check with your healthcare plan to confirm.
- Abortion clinics have access to interpreters and can provide information and care in almost any language, including Punjabi, Hindi, Farsi and Mandarin.
- If a website shows a price for prescribing or dispensing medication abortion pills, the website is likely a scam.
- Medication from another country is not regulated by Health Canada and may not be safe to take.
- A patient getting medication abortion care needs to have access to a licensed healthcare professional in case they need additional support, or medical care.
- Medication abortion is available up to 9 or 10 weeks of pregnancy, and not accessing timely, legitimate medication abortion care and provision could push a person outside of the window when they can access this type of abortion.
- All abortion care in BC is private and confidential.
How to find real abortion providers:
If you’re in BC, you can start with this list of abortion providers in BC.
- Sex Sense can help you find legitimate, safe medication abortion pill providers across British Columbia. If you are ever in doubt about whether an abortion provider is legitimate, you can always ask Sex Sense to verify. You can reach Sense at 604-731-7803 or 1-800-739-7367, or via email by filling in the form here: sexsense.org
If you are outside of BC, you can find abortion providers through the following services:
- A list of abortion providers across Canada: Choice Connect
- The National Abortion Federation (NAF) has an online “Find a Provider Service” that includes clinics in Canada, the US, Mexico, Colombia and some internationally that you can find at www.prochoice.org. They also have a hotline that you can reach at 1-877-257-0012.
Illegitimate Clinics and Doctors (as of August 2026)
Since the Health Canada warning about “Dr. Pooja,” it appears that the scammers have changed their name and crated new websites, so please be aware that scammers might be going by other names. According to this news article published by CP24, some scammers are also using real providers’ names, which makes identifying them difficult. If you are concerned, you can always call the real providers’ offices directly. Here are the names of some unregulated abortion pill providers that we know of who claim to operate clinics in Canada:
- “Dr. Richa Gynecologist Clinic” is the name scammers are using for a clinic that claims to have an office in Surrey, BC. There are no licenced gynecologists named Dr. Richa in BC.
- “Dr. Mahi” is the name of someone claiming to run an abortion clinic on Granville Street in Vancouver that does not exist, called the “Dr. Mahi Women Clinic.”
- “Dr. Manju” is the name that scammers are using to claim they run clinics in Montreal and Toronto.
- And “Dr. Pooja” is apparently still operating in Ottawa at “Dr. Renu womens clinic,” but that clinic also doesn’t exist, and neither does the Brampton location.
- There is a website that claims to be called the “Toronto Women’s Clinic” or “Abortion Clinic Toronto,” but this website appears to be impersonating the legitimate Toronto Abortion Clinic (the former Morgentaler Clinic).
- The illegitimate “Toronto Women’s Clinic” website also claims to have locations in Brampton, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, BC and “Canada.” Again, those locations do not exist.
- ChatGPT is recommending these “clinics,” but they are not legitimate.
*In BC, you can look up doctors with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, and nurse practitioners, registered nurses and midwives with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives.
Again, if you are ever in doubt about whether an abortion provider is legitimate, you can always ask Sex Sense to verify. You can reach Sense at 604-731-7803 or 1-800-739-7367, or via email by filling in the form here: sexsense.org