News & Updates
The Latest on Internet Pharmacies, Supplements, Designer Drugs, and Other High-Risk Merchants
The Who’s Who of Rogue Registrars
As more registrars move toward voluntary compliance, the walls continue to close in on rogue pharmacy operators. In a world without Nanjing Imperiosus Technology Co., Ltd., whose accreditation agreement was terminated in February 2017, rogue pharmacy operators are desperate to find long-term partners to sponsor their illicit activities. In recent months, we have identified thousands…
LegitScript Pharmacy Certification To Include Probationary Status
I’m pleased to announce that LegitScript pharmacy merchant certification will soon include a new category: Probationary Status. Let me explain why we’ve created this category and what it means for our partners and for certified pharmacies. Why a probationary category is necessary. LegitScript pharmacy certification is intended to distinguish between pharmacy or telemedicine merchants that…
Mugshots: US States That Prohibit Websites From Charging a Fee to Remove Arrest Photos
Over the past decade, dozens of for-profit websites have been created for the purpose of publishing arrest records, including booking photographs — more commonly known as “mugshots.” Many of these websites make money by charging the arrestee a fee to remove the image. Is this legal? The short answer is: it depends on the state.…
Apricot Kernels: When Fruit Becomes an Illegal Supplement
Apricots are a popular summer fruit, but as a dietary supplement they can also be the pits. Acquiring banks, payment providers, advertising platforms, and others should be aware that the kernels found inside the pits of fresh apricots can contain something quite unexpected: cyanide. Some supplement merchants advertise these products as a health cure, which…
New .health Domain Extension Introduced
This week, dotHealth launched the .health domain extension. This is exciting news for the medical industry and consumers. The .health domain will help to provide an easily identifiable place for internet users who are seeking trusted health information online — similar to that of .edu (for education), .org (for non-profit organizations), and .pharmacy (for certified…
CanadaDrugs.com President and Five Others Arrested for Selling Fake Cancer Drugs
Update: This story has been updated. See License Reinstated for Canadian Pharmacist Who Sold Counterfeit Cancer Drugs to the US. Six men connected to the online pharmacy CanadaDrugs.com, including president and founder Kristjan Thorkelson, have been extradited to the United States and arrested for selling fake cancer drugs online. US federal prosecutors have accused the men…
Q2 Update: More Than 6,000 Rogue Internet Pharmacy Domain Names Suspended
Just as the weather is heating up, so is the pressure on rogue internet pharmacies as the internet community becomes increasingly unified in its efforts to stop them. In the past three months, LegitScript’s enforcement efforts have led to the suspension of more than 6,000 domain names that were used as illegal online pharmacies and…
False Cures for Sale: Perpetrator Behind Elaborate Scheme Heads to Prison
The US Food and Drug Administration recently announced that Mustafa Hasan Arif, a UK and Pakistani citizen, was sentenced to six years in prison for marketing false cures that claimed to fix literally hundreds of conditions, including cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, even severe mental impairments. Back in 2009, a blogger operating under the name “One…
Proof in Numbers: More Registrars Step Up to Illegal Online Pharmacies
In 2016, LegitScript worked together with registrars to successfully suspend more than 20,000 domain names used by rogue internet pharmacies. In the first quarter of 2017 alone, 6,000 more domains have been suspended. Operators of rogue internet pharmacies are starting to feel the burn. Now that Nanjing Imperiosus Technology Co. Ltd. (China) is out of…
Connecting Recent Criminal Charges to PharmacyChecker-Approved Internet Pharmacies
I recently published a blog about the criminal charges and an apparent forfeiture action against internet pharmacy operators Billy Lee, Tarn Uppal, and Tony Lee, who operate or operated internet pharmacies approved by PharmacyChecker or the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA). The court filings relate to the defendants’ alleged sale of misbranded prescription drugs and…
Canadian Internet Pharmacies, Internet Pharmacy Stuff, PharmacyChecker