PHARMACIST indemnity insurance provider, Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL), is warning pharmacists to be on the lookout for prescription fraudsters.
In a practice alert issued on Fri, PDL reported, "a recent trend in pharmacists being duped into supplying medication...on fraudulent prescriptions by con artists who are becoming increasingly clever".
The insurer noted that fraudsters frequently present "forged or altered" prescriptions at pharmacies after hours or on weekends, when prescribers are hard to contact to verify if their script is genuine.
"Most states in Australia allow for a verification or two-day supply of the medication whilst retaining the prescription in question.
"This will give the pharmacist time to contact the prescriber, usually at a clinic or medical centre.
"If faced with the option of a verification supply, the fraudster will often state they are leaving for a remote area the next morning and cannot return for the full supply.
"This may be true in an occasional instance, but a genuine patient has a responsibility to ensure they leave time to secure the supply of the medication."
PDL has urged pharmacists to treat digital image scripts on phones and faxes from unknown sources with "heightened suspicion", and added that faxed scripts for Schedule 8 and S4 medicines from known doctors should be verified and an assurance should be given by the prescriber that they will send the original directly to the pharmacy.
Pharmacists are also being warned to watch out for other red flags, such as an unknown customer being overly friendly and engaging in excessive conversation, and private scripts being presented for large quantities of medications that are at high risk of being abused or diverted.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 10 May 21
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