on line pharmacys

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SCAMwatch homeHealth and medical scamsFake online
pharmacies

Fake online pharmacies
======================

What are fake online pharmacies?

Warning signs

Protect yourself from fake online pharmacy scams

Do your homework

Decide

Report them

What are fake online pharmacies?
--------------------------------

Fake online pharmacies are scams that use the internet and spam emails
to offer drugs and medicine at very cheap prices or without the need
for a prescription from a doctor. These scams can cause both financial
and health problems.

Most spam email offers selling medicines or drugs are designed to
steal your credit card details or to download damaging files (like
spyware and key-loggers) onto your computer.

Even if you actually do receive the products that you order, there is
no guarantee that they are the real thing. In some cases, the
medicines or other products may even damage your health.

Remember that there are legitimate online pharmacies. These businesses
will have their full contact details listed and will also require a
valid prescription before they send out any medicine that requires
one.

Top

Warning signs
-------------

You receive an unsolicited email offering cheap or hard-to-get
 pills or treatments. Often, these emails will promote well-known
 drugs such as Prozac or Viagra.

The subject title of the email has nothing to do with the products
 on offer.

The words in the email are spelt incorrectly or have apostrophes
 and spaces in the middle of the words. This is done to try to
 avoid anti-spam filters.

The email or website will sell you drugs that you would normally
 need a prescription for, even if you don’t have a prescription.

The pharmacy’s website is based overseas or does not include a
 contact telephone number or street address.

Top

Protect yourself from fake online pharmacy scams
------------------------------------------------

Use your common sense: the offer may be a scam.

Be very careful about offers for medicines, supplements or other
 treatments: always seek the advice of your health care
 professional.

Do not open suspicious or unsolicited emails (spam): delete them.

Do not click on any links in a spam email, or open any files
 attached to them.

Never call a telephone number that you see in a spam email.

Check the website address carefully. Scammers often set up fake
 websites with very similar addresses.

Never enter your personal, credit card or online account
 information on a website that you are not certain is genuine.

As well as following these specific tips, find out how to protect
yourself from all sorts of other scams.

Top

Do your homework
----------------

Prescription-only medicine requires a doctor or other qualified health
care professional to have examined you and talked to you about the
medical issue in question. Most medicines have at least some
side-effects and these can be very serious for some people. You should
never start a new course of medication or start taking any new pills
without first seeing your health care professional.

If you have a prescription and are interested in using an online
pharmacy, you need to make sure that it is not a scam. Ask your health
care professional if they can recommend any online pharmacies. Never
access an online pharmacy site through a link in an unsolicited email.

Some websites and emails offer ‘generic’ versions of well-known drugs.
However, many drugs are still protected by patents and no legitimate
generic versions exist. Check with your local pharmacy or health care
professional to see if a generic version of the drug exists.

If you are interested in buying from an online pharmacy, pay attention
to the terms and conditions of the website. Make sure you also find
out about how to get a refund if things go wrong. Check that the
pharmacy is who they say they are—it is very easy to set up a fake
website. Make sure the website includes full contact details (a
physical street address and phone numbers).

If you want to use an overseas-based online pharmacy, you should also
check with the Therapeutic Goods Administration to make sure that the
product you want to purchase does not contain any ingredients that are
prohibited in Australia. Remember that if you deal with an
overseas-based website, it can be much harder to sort out any problems
that may come up.

Top

Decide
------

If you receive an unsolicited email from an online pharmacy, delete
it.

If you do want to buy from an online pharmacy and you are sure that
the online pharmacy is legitimate, there are still a few precautions
you should take. Make sure you know exactly how much the order will
cost (including delivery fees and any currency conversion rates). Also
make sure you know how to get a refund if the product does not arrive,
is damaged or not what you ordered.

Top

Report them
-----------

If you think you have received an offer from a fake online pharmacy,
you can tell the authorities through the report a scam section of
SCAMwatch. You should also warn your family and friends about the
scam.

Top

Have you been scammed?What to do if you've been scammed; Scams & the
law; Report a scam.

Similar scams:
--------------

Miracle curesMiracle cure scams prey on the sick or desperate by
selling drugs or treatments that don’t work or are even dangerous.
Weight loss scamsFalse claims are made to mislead you into buying
‘revolutionary’ pills, creams, diet advice or machines.
Spam (junk mail) offersSpam emails, SMS or MMS usually offer free
goods or ‘prizes’, very cheap products or promises of wealth.
Responding to spam messages can result problems for you computer and
your bank account.
Credit card scamsThere are many types of scams that aim to steal your
credit card details, either by taking the card itself or by tricking
you into giving them the card’s details.
Dating and romance scamsScams that exploit your romantic or
compassionate side through expensive dating services, or false
profiles used to exploit you for money or steal your identity.
Psychic & clairvoyant scamsPsychic scammers claim that you are in
danger or predict trouble and offer a solution, such as ‘winning’
lottery numbers or a lucky charm – for a hefty fee.

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