Prevent Online Pharmacy Fraud

Selling drugs has become a popular business on the Internet. A quick Google search will show that there are many online pharmacies offering unbelievably affordable prices and discounted wholesale deals. Unfortunately, many customers have fallen victim to certain scam online pharmacies. The Internet Crime Complaint Center, a joint organization of the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI, report that 19 percent of complaints are due to undelivered merchandise. An estimated price of $1,500 is the reported average loss for all Internet frauds.

Most online scam operations require payment via bank debit, check, money order, wire, or credit card. Customers will have a harder time getting their money back if the payment was made through money order or check. Consumers can rely more on websites that ask for credit card or debit card payments. Apart from taking note of the payment method, here are some other traits that will determine if the website is a scam or not:

Analyzing the domain name

Before looking into the website?s content, it is important to observe the URL and domain name. Legitimate businesses use an address that is short, clear, and comprehensive. If the site?s URL uses words or numbers that do not make sense together, then it is best to move on and look for another online pharmacy.

Contacting their address and number

Make sure the website displays an actual address and phone number customers can contact for further inquiries. If the company has a toll-free number, call it and talk to the customer service representative. Ask the representative specific questions about the company?s products and services. If he or she is able to answer sufficiently, you can proceed with ordering from that site. You can also try sending an e-mail to the site. You should expect a professional response and not a bunch of spam messages promoting Viagra medicine.

Bad reputation

Online pharmacy reviews are available for everyone?s easy reference. These reviews are written by customers who either have good or bad experiences with the pharmacy?s products and services. Some pharmacy reviews websites have a list of the best and worst online drugstores. Make sure that the pharmacy online reviews are properly written and do not seem like spam messages.

You can also research how long the site has been operating. Any good business lasts because it is able to give customers quality products and services. Narrow down your choices to pharmacy sites that have a well-established reputation and a steady flow of customers.