How to Identify a Legitimate Online Pharmacy & Avoid Scams?

What are Some Warning Signs in an Online Pharmacy?

Most online pharmacies that pop up in your Google search may be frauds and scams. According to Alliance of Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP), about 95% of all online pharmacies operate illegally where they do not have proper licenses and/or sell counterfeit medications, scamming their customers. Here are some red flags you need to look for while selecting an online pharmacy.

Call/Text or Email Spamming:

If these online pharmacies constantly call or text you about buying prescription drugs and essentially spam their products in your mail, the pharmacy might be fake. There are no advertisements for prescription medications, as they are used only as prescribed by your doctor. Hence, they should not be advertised in this manner.

Delivering Without A Prescription:

Most counterfeit online pharmacies do not need a prescription for you to buy drugs. If your online pharmacy does not have strict standards for administering medications, it might be a fake pharmacy. Checking if your pharmacy requires a valid prescription is the quickest way to identify if you are being scammed into buying counterfeit drugs or not receiving medications at all.

Unreasonably Low Prices:

If these pharmacies sell you medications that are way too cheap, this might be a huge alarm for you to reconsider. If they do not have an explanation for their low prices or are selling brand versions of the medication at suspiciously low rates, you should check the authenticity of the website or application.

Unorganized Websites:

If the website of the online pharmacy in the USA does not look legitimate, or if they do not have any trackable credentials mentioned on their website, this could be another sign that they are trying to scam you. Be careful and always check the authenticity of the supplier, manufacturers, and online platform by checking their licenses and accreditations.

Other Fishy Activities:

If you receive your medications from such pharmacies, you may notice inconsistencies in the packaging, shape of tablets, spelling errors that are hard to notice (done deliberately), or medicines missing from the packaging. These are all signs to not consume the medication and to report these websites at NAPB. If you receive calls for extra payment after you have already placed your order and made the payment, it may be a sign that the pharmacy is not legitimate.  

How to Make Sure Your Online Pharmacy is Legitimate?

It can be scary to receive ineffective life-saving medication. Therefore, it is important you check the authenticity and credibility of the pharmacy you are ordering your medications from. Here are some things you can check to be safe from predatory and scam websites.

Check Online Reviews of the Pharmacy:

You can check Google reviews and online trust pilot reviews of various online pharmacies to determine their authenticity. There are a few things you should look out for, though:

• Determine whether the reviews are legitimate and not created by bots and fake accounts.

• Make sure that the reviews are present on some external websites, not on the pharmacy’s website itself.   

Check the License and Registrations of your pharmacy:

Legitimate pharmacies will most often have their affiliations or licenses mentioned on the website itself, and those licenses can be verified through Google. If they do not have the credentials mentioned, it is best not to order your medications from these websites or applications.

Check if They Have a Pharmacist on Board:

Most licensed pharmacies have a pharmacist on board to answer all your queries regarding the medications. Make sure that the pharmacist has a verifiable degree before you buy medicines online from their platform.

If the Web Address begins with HTTP:

Make sure you order your medications from secure websites that start with https and not HTTP, as your information may not be secure on these sites and can be used to commit fraud. It might also corrupt your device. Follow all general cyber safety rules while choosing your online pharmacy.

How do you Check if your Medicines are Authentic?

If you have received your medications, it is important to check their authenticity as it might be potentially fatal if you have a serious illness and they are ineffective. Here are some ways to ensure that you have the correct medications.

Examine the Packaging:

If you have ordered generic equivalents of the medication, some things might be written in a different language, but the ingredients must be written in English. It is also important to check if the packaging is tampered with or if there are any suspicious markings on the products or packaging.

Look for Spelling Errors:

If you are buying brand medications and you receive a medication that looks identical but has a spelling error in its name or something else, it might be a false medicine, as generic brands are not allowed to copy the exact packaging of the medicine. You should also check for any spelling errors in the list of ingredients.

Verify the Manufacturer License Online:

You can mostly verify the manufacturer of the medication online, even if they belong to a different country. Getting your medication from a different country doesn’t necessarily negate its authenticity. However, it is important to check that the medicines are manufactured by a verified and licensed manufacturer to ensure that strict safety standards are followed during the production of your medicine.

Conclusion

Medicines are often taken to prevent illnesses that can progress into serious complications; therefore, getting medications made with strict safety and manufacturing standards kept in practice is crucial. While there are a myriad of scams that can be found all across the internet, it is usually safe to stick to one pharmacy if you have found a place that delivers quality medicines. Your health is of utmost importance and should not be compromised at any cost.