How to Spot a Scam Viagra Website

Did you know that up to bought online is fake? It’s a scary statistic – but not nearly as scary as some of the ingredients found in these fake Viagra products. Blue printer ink, drywall, and amphetamines are just a few of the bizarre ingredients that have been found in black market Viagra pills. Now that (the active ingredient in Viagra) can be legally sold online without a subscription, it is harder than ever to determine the credibility of a website selling the male enhancement drug. In this article, we reveal the tell-tale signs that expose dodgy Viagra websites for what they are – so that you know how to spot (and ultimately avoid) them.

No MHRA approval

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the UK authority on medicines regulations. It ensures medicines and medical devices across the UK work and are acceptably safe. It is the same body that regulates Pfizer, the multi-billion pound pharmaceutical company behind the original Viagra pill.

Therefore, a dead giveaway that a website is selling counterfeit Viagra is if it does not display its MHRA approval. Whereas reputable websites like Numan display their MHRA approval on the front page of their website to prove their authenticity, other dubious websites will not show proof of their MHRA approval (because they don’t have one).

Websites that sell pharmaceutical products but are not approved by the MHRA are operating illegally. It is highly advisable to avoid any website that is attempting to sell erectile dysfunction medication (or any other type of medication) if it has not been approved by the MHRA.

It is usually quite easy to check if a pharmaceutical company is MHRA approved. Most trustworthy websites have a widget you can click (see the picture below) to check if the website is operating legally.

Clicking on this widget will take you the company’s MHRA approval page, where you can see its MHRA approval number, the websites it is registered to sell medication on, and the address the company is registered in.

The MHRA are working diligently to prevent the sale of knock-off Viagra online. From 2014 to 2015 it confiscated £3,890,516 worth of fake Viagra – and this number tripled to £11,205,342 worth from 2015-2016. To put these numbers into perspective, this made up 90% of the counterfeit drugs seized that year.

The ubiquity of fake Viagra online means it is important to check that the vendor you plan to buy it from is MHRA approved. Before you do, however, consult your doctor to ensure the erectile dysfunction (ED) medication is safe for you to take and does not conflict with any medication you are taking.

Dangerously High Dosages

Another tell-tale sign that a website is selling counterfeit sildenafil (Viagra) is if it sells it in doses higher than 100mg. One hundred milligrams is the maximum recommended daily dose of sildenafil. Anything more than this can cause serious , including a heart attack and priapism (a persistent and painful erection).

The potential health risks of overdosing on sildenafil don’t stop dishonest websites from peddling tablets that exceed 100mg of sildenafil, however. In fact, these websites can offer tablets that contain up to 200mg of sildenafil – twice the recommended daily dose.

Many counterfeit Viagra products don’t contain the amount of sildenafil that they are advertised to have. In the “best case” scenario (although it is far from ideal), they contain far less sildenafil than the website claims. However, in the “worse case” scenario (which is fairly common) they contain a myriad of contaminants such as plaster and Metronidazole – a powerful antibiotic that can cause an allergic reaction, diarrhea, or vomiting.

Most reputable online sellers of sildenafil do not sell higher doses than 100mg. Even Pfizer – the original creator of Viagra – does not sell sildenafil in higher doses than 100mg. Therefore, if you come across a website offering sildenafil in higher doses than 100mg, then it is best to avoid it.

No Online Consultation

All credible online sellers of sildenafil will ask you to complete an online consultation before you can purchase sildenafil through their website. This is to make sure that the medicine is safe for you to take and does not interact with any medication you are taking.

This process is incredibly important. As sildenafil is not suitable for people who have had heart problems or are taking medicines called nitrates, it is important to go through an online consultation to determine whether you can safely take sildenafil or not.

Reputable companies like Numan have all their sildenafil applications approved by a registered clinician before they send their ED treatments out. This ensures that the people who have ordered it can take it safely. Likewise, Pfizer also requires all customers to complete an online form before they can purchase Viagra.

On the other hand, scam websites will allow anyone to buy sildenafil through their site – regardless of the health risks. Many people are unaware of the potential risks of combining sildenafil with other medications, and many do not know that it shouldn’t be taken if they have certain pre-existing medical conditions (more information about who can and who can’t take sildenafil can be found ).

If a website allows you to purchase sildenafil without first filling out an online consultation, that is a big red flag. The website should be avoided, and a more reputable alternative should be considered.

Suspiciously Low Prices

Cheaper is not always better. Scam websites have been known to sell fake Viagra for as little as 50p per pill. To put this into context, a pack of 4 Viagra pills from Pfizer is £19.99, which equates to almost £5 per pill. Likewise, a pack of 8 sildenafil pills from Numan is £22.95, ($25.10)  which works out at £2.90 per pill.

When it comes to erectile dysfunction treatments, it pays to invest in a quality product. Yes, choosing a reputable company might be slightly more expensive than a black market alternative, but in doing so you can guarantee three things: 1) the medication will be safe for you to take, 2) you know exactly what ingredients are in it, 3) the conditions in which the medicines were made were sanitary.

This last point is one that many people often overlook. When the MHRA conducted its biggest-ever raid of illegal Viagra distributors in 2016, it found that the medicines they were selling were “being sold from a shed in a back garden that was damp and rotten” and had rats and mice “crawling all over” them.

Obviously, storing oral medication in such a way poses great health risks to the customer who eventually buys it. Even if the Viagra products weren’t tainted with other ingredients (which fake Viagra products often are), they could become contaminated by other, more dangerous contaminants found in the unhygienic environment they’re stored in.

If an offer for cheap Viagra sounds too good to be true, then chances are it probably is. Sildenafil (and Viagra) from reputable websites may be slightly pricier, but the peace of mind that comes with knowing it is unadulterated, reliable, and works is invaluable. So, if the price of the sildenafil advertised on a website seems suspiciously low, think twice about purchasing it.