How to Spot a Fake Online Pharmacy in the UK

Check the supplying pharmacy on the official register, compare its details with the website, and confirm that the website belongs to that pharmacy.

Use the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) register for England, Scotland and Wales, or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) register for Northern Ireland.

1. Find the supplying pharmacy. Look in the website’s footer or contact page for its registration details.
2. Search the official register. Check its current registration status and compare the details in the table below.
3. Resolve any uncertainty before ordering. If you cannot establish that the website belongs to the pharmacy, use independently verified contact details or ask the regulator.

Match the pharmacy. Then verify the website.

Compare the pharmacy premises address, which may differ from the company’s registered office. Matching details alone do not prove that the website belongs to the pharmacy.

Missing or conflicting pharmacy details and offers to supply prescription-only medicines without a valid prescription are warning signs. Other reasons to pause include the following:

Some pharmacies display a “Registered Pharmacy” badge showing their pharmacy registration number. This helps you locate their details, but the badge alone does not prove that a website is legitimate. Check the number directly on the official register and confirm that the website belongs to that pharmacy.

This type of registration badge is different from the EU Distance Selling Logo.

Within the UK, the EU Distance Selling Logo requirement continues for online medicine sellers based in Northern Ireland. It no longer applies to sellers based in England, Scotland or Wales. Its absence from an English pharmacy’s website therefore does not mean that the pharmacy is fake.

Positive reviews, a UK-looking web address and professional website design also cannot replace independent registration checks.

Some medicines can legally be supplied without a prescription. Prescription-only medicines require a valid prescription from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

You may provide an existing prescription or use an online consultation service whose prescriber assesses whether treatment is suitable. Not needing a prescription from your own GP is different from not needing a prescription at all.

An assessment should consider relevant medical history, medicines and allergies, with further checks where needed. Completing a questionnaire or making payment does not itself mean treatment has been approved.

Further Reading: Our prescribing standards

Low prices alone do not prove that medicines are fake. Legitimate pharmacies can charge different prices, and generic medicines may cost less than branded versions.
An unusually cheap offer should prompt further checks, particularly when combined with unverifiable pharmacy details, unrealistic claims or pressure to pay quickly. Verify the seller before deciding whether an offer is trustworthy.

A social-media account does not prove that a pharmacy is legitimate. Professional photographs, positive comments, testimonials and large follower counts can create reassurance without verifying who is supplying the medicine.

Be cautious of accounts offering medicines through Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp or other messaging services, particularly if they cannot identify the supplying pharmacy or offer prescription-only medicines without an appropriate prescribing process.

Legitimate pharmacies may use social media to share information and communicate with patients. However, finding a pharmacy through an advert or receiving a direct message is not a substitute for checking it independently.

Before sharing medical information or paying, verify the pharmacy’s registration and confirm that you are using its official website.

Verify the pharmacy first, then check its privacy notice explains who collects your health information, why it is needed and how it will be used.

A secure connection or privacy notice does not establish that a pharmacy is legitimate. Do not send identity documents, medical details or payment information to a seller you cannot verify.

You could receive unsafe or ineffective medicine, lose your money or have your personal information misused.

Fake medicines may contain the wrong dose, no active ingredient, undeclared drugs or harmful substances. Even a genuine medicine can be unsuitable for you because of your medical history or interactions with other treatments.

Use the MHRA service to report a suspected illegal medicine seller. Keep the website address, screenshots and relevant messages or order details.

You can also check the MHRA’s “Not Recommended” list. Absence from this list is not approval: you still need to verify the pharmacy.

Concerns about a registered pharmacy’s professional practice can also be raised with its pharmacy regulator.

• Keep evidence. Retain packaging, remaining medicine and order details. Keep suspect medicines out of reach of children.
• Report the product. Use the MHRA Yellow Card scheme for suspected fake medicines or suspected side effects. Use the separate seller-reporting service above for the website.
• Contact your payment provider. If you suspect payment fraud, contact your bank or payment provider promptly.