Issuing And Using False Drug Prescriptions Is A Crime

Using/Issuing a false drug prescription is defined as the obtaining of a controlled substance or any prescription drug through illegal means. It could be through forging prescriptions, altering prescriptions, and other tactics to be able to acquire a prescription drug. It is a felony, which means that it is punishable by law with imprisonment for a year, to say the very least.

A lot of offenders get away with prescription fraud. The incidence of it happening is alarmingly increasing every year because, unlike other crimes, prescription fraud is not a high police priority. Other contributing factors to the growing rate of incidence could be the doctors and the pharmacists themselves, who lack awareness about the seriousness of situation. The fact that some offenders do act so casually could also be a factor. They come in the pharmacy, show the prescription, and pay for it.

When can you be charged with Prescription Fraud?

A person can be charged with Prescription Fraud in two ways – attempted prescription fraud and prescription fraud. Attempted prescription fraud can be charged to someone who has attempted to purchase a prescription drug with the use of an illegal prescription. Even without the pharmacist handing over the drug, it can already be considered attempted prescription fraud.

Different Types of Prescription Fraud

There are many ways on how somebody can be considered guilty of prescription fraud:

1)     Forging prescriptions – patients who have a prescription for a controlled substance are the ones who usually make use of this tactic. With the use of high tech printing machines or even a skilled hand, a copy of the prescription is then duplicated or forged.

2)     Altering prescriptions – this is one of the tactics used by patients who are hooked on their maintenance drugs. An example of this is diazepam. Diazepam is an anti anxiety drug that can be very addictive. What most perpetrators do is change the number of tablets or refills.

3)     Doctor shopping – just like shopping in a mall, offenders go to different doctors and feign signs and symptoms, such as headache and migraine, to gain sympathy from medical practitioners. The favorite hunting ground is the emergency room. There are some offenders who go as far as to hurt or injure themselves just to get their fix.

4)     Calling in Prescriptions – the offender impersonates a medical staff and calls in false prescriptions. The first thing they do is to establish rapport so as to let the person at the other end think that it is a legitimate call.

5)     Stealing blank prescription forms – with a blank prescription form, it is easier to fake it compared to altering prescriptions. Offenders write prescription for themselves or sometimes for other people.

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