• If the online pharmacy doesn't have a toll-free phone number as well as a street address posted on its site, keep clicking. If the only means of communication between you and the pharmacy is by e-mail, your scam bells should be ringing. NABP says that illegal pharmacy sites frequently sell their customer lists to other illegitimate online businesses. So if you buy from a sham site, you could be marking yourself as a scam target.
• If a site does not advertise the availability of pharmacists for medication consultation, it should be avoided. Legitimate sites allow consumers to contact pharmacists if they have questions about their medications.
• Be leery of online pharmacies that sell a limited number of medications. Although pharmacies may not sell every medication available in the United States, those that specialize in medications that treat sexual dysfunction or assist in weight loss, for example, may not be operating legitimately.
Pfizer Inc., the maker of Viagra, announced recently that it was going to aggressively pursue legal action against dozens of illegitimate online pharmacies that sell counterfeit Viagra.
Those illegal Web sites often claim that you can buy Viagra from them, then send consumers a counterfeit drug. Some sites promote a generic version of the drug. Pfizer says that's just not possible since there is no FDA-approved generic version of its drug.
There is one way to help identify a legitimate online pharmacy. Contact the NABP at www.nabp.net/vipps/intro.asp. On the site you will find the association's Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) program, which is a free service that allows consumers to check the legitimacy of an online pharmacy. Always look for the VIPPS seal and then verify that the site is legit with NABP.
As demand and cost for prescription drugs rise, many consumers will be turning to the Internet to make their pharmaceutical purchases. Making sure the pharmacy is legitimate is an essential first step to doing this safely.
As for whether the drugs themselves are counterfeit, the NCL Web site (www.nclnet.org) offers some tips: First, know the size, shape, color and taste of your prescription pills. Check any differences with your doctor. Also, check for altered or unsealed containers, or changes in packaging or label.
But searching for drugs at a discount without first checking out the online pharmacy could damage not just your finances, but also your health.
Michelle Singletary discusses personal finance Tuesdays on NPR's "Day to Day" program and online at www.npr.org. Readers can write to her at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or by e-mail at singletarym@washpost.com. Comments and questions are welcome, but please note that they may be used in a future column, with the writer's name, unless a specific request to do otherwise is indicated.
