There's been a spike in illegal online pharmacies selling fake pills for Oxycodone, Adderral and Xanax and other drugs that actually contain the deadly drugs fentanyl and methamphetamine, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency said Friday.
The DEA said the websites targeting Americans are often foreign based, including in India and the Dominican Republic, and go to lengths to look real by advertising 24-hour customer service, online reviews, safety facts, offering discounts and more.
"Many of these sites purport to be legitimate, U.S. based or FDA approved sites, but are actually working with drug traffickers to fulfill online orders with fake pills," the DEA said.
One victim died after taking one pill of what she believed and what appeared to be oxycodone, but turned out to be a fake pill of filler and fentanyl, the DEA said.
"These companies operate illegally, deliberately deceiving American customers into believing they are purchasing safe, regulated medications when they are actually selling fake, counterfeit pills made with fentanyl or methamphetamine," the DEA added. "Fake medications can lead to serious health risks, including harmful side effects, ineffective treatment, and even death."
On Sept. 30, the U.S. Attorney General charged 18 defendants in India, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. who were part of an online network that sold millions of dangerous fake pills laced with fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Authorities have recently shut down nine websites, including curecog.com, pharmacystoreonline.com and careonlinestore.com.
How to avoid buying fake, deadly drugs
The DEA said it is difficult to determine if an online pharmacy is legitimate, but there are signs to look out for:
- Websites selling drugs without a prescription.
- Much cheaper prices than usual.
- Prices are listed in a foreign currency.
- No proof of a valid pharmacy state license or DEA registration.
- Medicine arrives in broken, damaged packaging in a foreign language.
- Medicine doesn't have expiration date or is expired.
- Medicine looks different than what you have received in the past from a pharmacist.