News & Updates
The Latest on Internet Pharmacies, Supplements, Designer Drugs,
and Other High-Risk Merchants
Apetamin: An Unapproved Drug Masquerading as a Vitamin Syrup for Weight Gain
A search of “Apetamin” online yields pages of results of websites selling brown bottles with bright orange labels. Many search results include social media accounts showing full-body selfies of women who attribute their curves to this “weight gain syrup.” But Apetamin is not a harmless vitamin supplement as payment facilitators might think — it’s a…
We Answer Your Questions About LegitScript’s Addiction Treatment Certification
Last month, LegitScript launched a new certification program for drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers aimed at reducing the influence of opportunistic providers that have been cashing in on patients’ recovery efforts and insurance billing opportunities. The program is also an opportunity for legitimate providers that are certified and monitored by LegitScript to advertise…
Ghost Guns Pose Reputational Risk for Payment Facilitators
Payment facilitators typically prohibit merchants selling firearms because of card brand rules, and because the complex web of jurisdictional laws in the US makes it difficult to track the legality of weapon purchases. Despite this prohibition, some merchants try to skirt the terms and conditions of payment processors by selling firearms that aren’t technically firearms…
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Stresses Both Awareness and Action
The abuse of prescription drugs is a complex, multifaceted problem that can’t be solved alone by government agencies, pharmaceutical companies, advocacy organizations, groups of industry professionals, or members of the public. But it can be solved by the combined efforts of all of these. National Prescription Drug Take Back Day not only highlights the action…
LegitScript’s New Certification Program for Addiction Treatment Providers Will Help Those Most Vulnerable
I’m pleased to announce that today, LegitScript is launching a certification program for drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers. I’m also pleased to share that Google, also today, announced that starting in July, all drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers in the United States that wish to advertise on Google AdWords will be required to…
“Hate/Harm” Content Poses a Reputational Risk for Card Brands and Payment Facilitators
With the gaining momentum of the alt-right movement over the past few years, the US and other Western countries have seen an increase in hate groups and other extremist organizations that frequently operate and organize through the internet. Although the First Amendment of the US Constitution offers broad protections for speech, card brands, payment facilitators, and…
Illicit IPTV: The Streaming Content May Be Cheap, but the Fines Are Expensive
Would you like instant access to thousands of movies, premium TV channels, and pay-per-view content for a low monthly subscription fee, or even for free? These are two examples of the promises that providers of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) make to consumers to entice them to purchase their products. However, merchants who offer unauthorized IPTV…
Herbal Incense Linked to at Least Two Deaths and 54 Cases of Severe Bleeding
Photo from the National Drug-Free Work Alliance. At least two people are dead and many more are facing disturbing symptoms linked to the use of synthetic cannabinoids purchased mostly in and around Chicago, Illinois. According to the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH), contaminated cannabinoid products — some of which have tested positive for rat poison…
Build Trust and Improve Your Business Through Healthcare Merchant Certification
Healthcare merchants operating legally online may wonder why they need certification when they are already properly licensed. What they may fail to realize is that the online healthcare space — including internet pharmacies, telemedicine providers, eyewear merchants, and more — is rife with bad actors offering products and services that are illegal and potentially dangerous.…
Kratom: Addiction Treatment or Addictive Opioid?
As mentioned in our last post, LegitScript has noticed a trend to market kratom as an opioid alternative and an opiate withdrawal aid. Today, we’re taking a closer look at this plant, which has been the subject of some recent alarming warnings by the FDA. Kratom, also known as Mitragyna speciosa, is a tree that grows naturally in Thailand,…