Admare Jinga, a 31-year-old asylum seeker from Zimbabwe, has been convicted of fraud for selling products over the internet that claimed to "kill" the HIV/Aids virus.

Mr Jinga was ordered to pay almost £950 in costs and complete 240 hours of community service for running an internet scam that targeted "vulnerable people", the MHRA announced yesterday (July 23).

Mr Jinga had pleaded guilty to the sale and supply of an unlicensed medicine at his trial, which concluded on June 11.

Admare Jinga, 31, was peddling TENS machines as a cure for HIV/Aids in a scam that targeted "vulnerable people", the MHRA said	More on counterfeits MHRA seizes record £12m haul of unlicensed and       counterfeit drugs Counterfeits peddler fined £5.6m after UK's 'most       serious' supply chain breach Four sentenced for running counterfeit medicine ring MORE NEWS
	The MHRA, in conjunction with the Northern Ireland government, launched an investigation into Mr Jinga's dealings in 2009. It found that Mr Jinga was selling a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machine – which transmits electric currents to stimulate the nerves – as a cure for HIV/Aids.

Mr Jinga sold the machines through his company, Savec Health Systems Ltd, for £149 each, with accessories costing £29.99

The MHRA advised anyone who was concerned they had purchased this machine to contact their pharmacist or GP. "Our investigation revealed that Mr Jinga was purely and simply running a scam over the internet," said MHRA director of devices John Wilkinson. "His machine could not diagnose the HIV infection or kill the virus."

The medicines watchdog also issued a general warning to patients purchasing products over the internet and stressed that licensed medical devices should have a CE mark.

"If people are going to use the internet to obtain a medical device, we urge them to research the company, phone the referees and testimonials and, if possible, speak to real people who have purchased the product and are happy with the result," Mr Wilkinson advised.