A new, no-nonsense, 90-second cartoon developed by Australian medication regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), warns consumers to avoid risks associated with purchasing medications or medical devices online.

The cartoon features animated “baddies” wearing masks and balaclavas, to demonstrate that not all medications available for purchase online, are legally manufactured, contain the correct dose of ingredients, or come from reputable sources.

“The problem is, when you buy medicines online, you just don’t know who’s made them, or what’s going into them. The medicines may look right, but you have no way of knowing if they are counterfeit, have the wrong amount of active ingredient, are contaminated with toxic chemicals, or contain undisclosed dangerous or illegal ingredients,” the cartoon explains.

The cartoon, which is delivered in a simple and easy to understand format, urges people to conduct more research and to head to tga.gov.au to learn more about purchasing medications online.

Watch the cartoon here.