The two-minute verification, in order
Run these checks before you enter any payment information. You can stop at the first hard failure — one decisive red flag is enough to walk away.
- Does it require a valid prescription? If a site will sell you Ozempic, Wegovy, or a compounded GLP-1 with no prescription from a real prescriber, stop here. NABP has found that the large majority of online pharmacies it reviewed dispense without a valid prescription.
- Is the web address a .pharmacy domain? NABP grants .pharmacy only to pharmacies that meet its standards, and it can’t be forged the way a padlock icon or a copied logo can. Its presence is a strong positive; its absence isn’t proof of a problem, so keep checking.
- Is it licensed? Look up the pharmacy with the state board of pharmacy where it is based — every US state has one, and NABP links them. A legitimate pharmacy will name its licensing state.
- Is there a real address, phone, and pharmacist? A US physical address, a working phone, and access to a licensed pharmacist to answer questions are baseline. Chat-only, no address, or an overseas location are warnings.
- Check NABP’s lists: NABP publishes a "Not Recommended" list of sites and a Safe Site Search tool. If a site is flagged, don’t use it.
The red flags that should stop you cold
Some signals are strong enough on their own. Any one of these means walk away, regardless of how professional the rest of the site looks.
- Sells prescription GLP-1s with no prescription required.
- Takes payment only in cryptocurrency, gift cards, Zelle, or wire transfer.
- Offers "bonus pills," buy-more-save-more on a prescription drug, or prices far below every legitimate option.
- Ships to the US from overseas. NABP does not accredit foreign-domiciled pharmacies to dispense to US patients and lists cross-border sites as "Not Recommended" — note this is a licensing/jurisdiction position, and does not by itself prove a given pharmacy is unsafe.
- Sells a "GLP-1" in a form the FDA has never approved — a skin patch, nasal spray, sublingual/under-the-tongue drops, or an oral liquid. (Injections and oral semaglutide tablets are the approved forms.)
- Pushes you off the site to finish the order over Telegram, WhatsApp, or DM.
Beware fake ads and celebrity "endorsements"
A lot of rogue GLP-1 sellers are found through social-media ads, not searches. The FTC and Better Business Bureau have documented AI-generated "deepfake" endorsements — including fake ads using Oprah Winfrey’s likeness — that she has publicly disavowed. No legitimate GLP-1 is sold through a celebrity’s personal endorsement in a social ad.
Another common pattern is the subscription trap: a small "membership" charge that turns into repeated, larger charges you didn’t clearly agree to. If an offer hides the real recurring price, treat it as a scam. You can report weight-loss and GLP-1 scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.