The FDA has issued a warning about the growing presence of fake online pharmacies selling drugs like oxycodone and Xanax through Google, exploiting search engine loopholes to mimic legitimate pharmacies. These rogue sites are targeting consumers with illegal drugs, often without requiring prescriptions, raising concerns about safety and abuse.
Kubapharm.com, one such site flagged by the FDA in 2022, continues to operate today. The website allows customers to buy fentanyl-laced pills without prescription verification.
A recent video by The Washington Examiner demonstrated the ease of finding such dangerous sites through Google search results.
The video showed one person searching the internet for cocaine by looking up “buy cocaine.” The search showed a misleading .gov site for disaster assistance. However, that site had a link to another website that had contact information for a drug dealer.
Google’s algorithms block over 40 billion spam pages daily. However, an update in 2022 made it easier for malicious sites to create fake pages within reputable government domains. The tech company advises organizations to block internal search pages from appearing in results, yet loopholes allow some fake pharmacies to slip through.
Experts warn these trends put consumers at serious risk, potentially leading them to bypass traditional pharmacies entirely. Officials urge anyone seeking medication online to verify sites carefully, consult with a doctor and only buy from reputable, certified pharmacies.