In my 20 years of practice, I have come across many forged, altered, or otherwise illegally reproduced prescriptions. So I've
accumulated some experience in spotting real versus phony prescriptions. I'm sharing my experience with you so you won't be
duped.
Look for patterns that the forgery artist may use, like showing up consistently at the pharmacy on the same day of the week.
I once encountered a man who presented a prescription for Darvocet N 100 (acetaminophen/propoxyphene napsylate, Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals)
to me on three consecutive Sunday mornings. In each case, I asked him for his address. By the third time, I recognized the
man and remembered that he had come twice before. I dug out the hard copies of each prescription and noticed that the man
had given me three different house numbers on the same street!
Bob Spera, R.Ph.
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Sometimes the crooks slip up in other ways. A man presented a prescription for Vicodin ES with his hand and wrist nicely bandaged
up. He said he had cut his hand in an accident at work. I was attempting to fill the prescription when I noticed it was written
by a cardiologist. That blank was obviously stolen.
Another way to tell if an Rx is a sham is by the directions on the order. If an Rx for OxyContin (oxycodone HCl, Purdue Pharma)
shows up with "q4h" written down, there may be a problem. I once nailed a faux Rx because the directions read "1 q BID." What should you do when you believe a prescription is bogus? Several methods may be implemented, and every one of these tactics
has been successful in my experience. In one case, I simply picked up the telephone, acted as if I were dialing, and in a
voice loud enough for the perpetrator to hear, I stated, "Yes, officer, I would like to report an illegal drug transaction."
Seconds later, I looked up and the culprit was gone.
In another case, I looked at the con artist and asked, "Do you want to leave the store quietly, or do you want me to get the
police involved?" The result was the same. Another tactic if your store has an internal public address system is to go on
and state, "In-store security, please report to the pharmacy." The impostor will disappear if he is guilty.
There are other techniques you can use to fend off charlatans. If the prescription is suspicious looking, you can say that
you're "out of stock," or you have to call the doctor to substantiate the order. Other ploys I have utilized in the past have
been looking at the prescription and saying aloud, "This is not the doctor's writing" or "It looks like a third-grader wrote
this" or "There is nothing 'p.r.n.' about OxyContin," all within earshot of the forgery artisans. In all cases where they
feel incriminated, they disappear. Never has a scammer debated with me when I called his bluff.
The most daring strategy I ever used was when I came face-to-face with a person who had succeeded in fraudulently getting
several prescriptions for OxyContin filled. I had a feeling he would be making an appearance on a given day. So I alerted
the local police, who sent a plainclothes detective to my store posing as a shopper. The swindler came into my store with
the phony script. I alerted everyone in the pharmacy to conduct business as usual. Once the cashier rang up the sale at the
register, I gave the signal to the undercover officer, who made the arrest with the evidence in his hand.
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