Senior Citizens

Senior Resources

Aging Americans are increasingly using prescription medications to combat chronic health problems. DEA has created this resource page focused on older Americans because no one is immune to the tactics used by drug traffickers to trick unsuspecting Americans into buying and using counterfeit pills that look identical to popular prescription medications.

Prescription Awareness Story

Prescription Opioids

DEA Issues Warning About Illegal Online Pharmacies

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has seen an increase in illegal online pharmacies selling and shipping counterfeit pills made with fentanyl and methamphetamine to unsuspecting customers in the United States who believe they are purchasing real pharmaceutical drugs such as Oxycodone, Adderall, Xanax, and other drugs from legitimate pharmacies.

Report Suspicious Pharmacies

pharmacist and senior going over medications

Illegal Online Pharmacy Red Flags

While it can be difficult to identify an illegal online pharmacy, the following are possible red flags that a website is not a legitimate:

Sells prescription drugs without requiring a valid prescription from a healthcare provider
Offers much cheaper prices than what is typically seen in the market
Lists prices in a foreign currency
Does not contain proof of a valid pharmacy state license or DEA registration
Medicine arrives in broken or damaged packaging or in a foreign language
Medicine does not have an expiration date or is expired
Medicine looks different from what you have received in the past from your trusted pharmacist

Using prescription pills that weren't prescribed to you can be deadly.

Criminal drug networks are mass-producing fake pills and falsely marketing them as legitimate prescription pills to deceive the American public.
Fake pills are easy to purchase, widely available, often contain fentanyl or methamphetamine, and can be deadly.
Fake prescription pills are easily accessible and often sold on social media and e-commerce platforms, making them available to anyone with a smartphone, including minors.
Many fake pills are made to look like prescription drugs such as oxycodone (Oxycontin®, Percocet®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), and alprazolam (Xanax®); or stimulants like amphetamines (Adderall®)