Online Pharmacy. Dangers of Buying Drugs Online. Ways to Avoid Fraud

The revenue of the global online pharmacy market share is expected to reach $178.1 Billion by the year 2026. Wherever there is big money – there is fraud. The same is true for the online pharmacy business. Based on the reports of the specialists working in this sphere, about 96% of pharmacies operating on the Internet are not licensed and are therefore illegal.

People buying from such services put themselves at multiple risks: financial and those related to their health. To avoid them, it’s crucial to order medicines at licensed online pharmacies only. But how to distinguish them from thousands of others you can find on the web? You can use our pieces of advice to do this.

Illegal Online Medicines Suppliers. What Dangers Do You Face?

Inexperienced users of online pharmacy services may find it difficult to distinguish between licensed and illegally operating online pharmacies. Their websites can both look excellent and reliable. You can find hundreds of positive user reviews for both licensed and not licensed online pharmacies. However, your experience of buying medicines from these pharmacies may be very different.

When you order medicines from a pharmacy with no FDA license, you risk many things. For instance, you may buy a counterfeited medication. What does this mean? Counterfeited drugs may contain substances that are not listed in their composition. Some mixtures may cause severe health problems and even death. People buying opioid analgesics or benzodiazepines on the Internet should be especially careful as such medications may also contain fentanyl – a potent opioid analgesic that may cause life-threatening symptoms.

Another common problem with online pharmacies is that they sell medicines not approved by the FDA. Neither safety nor efficacy of such preparations can be trusted. Some medicines are generic analogs of the brand medications produced in the United States. However, a lack of certification for such products doesn’t allow saying they can be used safely.

It may happen so that you will order and pay for the brand medication while an online pharmacy will send you a cheaper generic drug. There is also a chance that you’ll receive the wrong medication, so you won’t be able to start treatment in time.

Money refund is another issue that can hardly be resolved when buying from illegal online pharmacies. If your package is damaged or lost during the delivery, you won’t return your money.

Finally, buying from a non-licensed online pharmacy, you provide your personal data, including your payment information, to people and companies with a rather doubtful reputation. Do you really want these people to know it?