COVID-19 Scams
Rachel Balick
Illegitimate online pharmacies aren’t new. They’ve been endangering patients by peddling counterfeit, ineffective, improper, and tainted medications for years: Some drugs contain too much or too little of the active ingredient or none of it, and some contain harmful substances like rat poison and antifreeze. According to the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies, up to 98% of online pharmacies violate the law.
COVID-19 has provided a ripe opportunity for the unscrupulous to prey on patients’ uncertainty and fear. They’re marketing substandard personal protective equipment and products with false claims to prevent, diagnose, or cure the virus not just on websites but through e-mail, text messages, phone calls, and even home visits. They’re not just after patients’ money—they’re also collecting personal information for further misdeeds.
In April 2020, the Federal Trade Commission said it had received more than 18,000 reports of COVID-19 scams, resulting in the loss of $13.44 million.
Pharmacists can help patients avoid losing their money, their privacy, and their health to rogue actors.
BEWARE ONLINE PHARMACIES THAT
✘ Allow patients to buy drugs without a prescription
✘ Offer discounts or prices that seem too good to be true
✘ Send unsolicited e-mails, texts, and other spam offering cheap medication
✘ Ship prescription drugs all over the world
✘ State that drugs will be shipped from a foreign country—even Canada
✘ Are located outside the United States
✘ Are not licensed by a U.S. state board of pharmacy or equivalent state health authority
STICK TO ONLINE PHARMACIES THAT
✔ Require a valid prescription
✔ Have a physical U.S. address
✔ Are licensed by the U.S. state board of pharmacy or equivalent state health authority in your state and the state where the pharmacy operates
✔ Have a state-licensed pharmacist to answer your questions
Source: FDA
Examples of illegitimate pharmacy websites:
FDA and FTC warned the manufacturers of these products as a response to false claims that they will treat COVID-19.
See more such photos and a list—updated on a regular basis—of other companies that have received warning letters at www.apha.us/COVIDFrauds.
Source: FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, Health Fraud Branch
Coronavirus-related fraud reports and losses by age group
