Telehealth Impersonation Scams: Fake E‑Visits, Prescription Fraud & How Seniors Can Verify Providers

Why this matters now

Telehealth makes medical care easier for many people, but scammers are exploiting video visits, cloned websites and online pharmacies to impersonate doctors, forge e‑prescriptions, and steal money or medical information — often targeting older adults. In 2024 impersonation scams accounted for billions in losses, and regulators have prioritized enforcement and consumer guidance as telehealth use and online drug offers have surged.

This article explains how telehealth impersonation scams work, lists the most reliable red flags, and gives a clear, step‑by‑step checklist seniors and caregivers can use to verify a provider and a prescription before acting.

How telehealth impersonation and prescription fraud typically work

Scammers use several overlapping tactics to appear legitimate:

• Cloned platform or fake clinic pages: A scam site or ad copies the look of a known telehealth platform or local clinic to trick patients into signing up or paying.
• Fake clinician profiles: Fraudsters post plausible doctor names, photos and IDs (sometimes AI‑generated) that look real at a glance.
• Pressure to pay, or odd payment methods: Requests to pay by bank transfer, wire, gift card, or cryptocurrency are common red flags; scammers prefer payment channels that are hard to reverse.
• Rogue or unverified pharmacies: Scammers may fill a forged e‑prescription through an illegal online pharmacy that ships counterfeit or dangerous medicines. The majority of global pharmacy websites operate outside U.S. regulation.
• Quick prescriptions without examination: Medicine — especially controlled medications or specialty drugs — given after a single short form or rushed video call without meaningful history or records should prompt verification. Regulatory changes that broaden telehealth prescribing make verification more important than ever.

Understand these tactics so you can spot when something feels off, then follow the verification checklist below before you share personal data, accept a prescription, or pay money.

Step‑by‑step verification checklist (simple actions you can take right away)

Use this checklist during or immediately after a telehealth visit, whenever a new provider, platform, or online pharmacy contacts you.

1. Pause — don’t rush. If anyone pressures you to act fast, hang up or close the site and verify before continuing.
2. Confirm the platform or clinic: If you received an email or text link for the visit, don’t click it. Instead, type the clinic or platform web address you know into the browser or call the phone number you already have for the clinic. If a link was sent, compare the domain carefully — scammers use URLs that look similar but are slightly different.
3. Verify the clinician’s identity: Ask for the clinician’s full name, medical license number and the state where they are licensed. Then check publicly:
   • Use your state medical board lookup or the Federation of State Medical Boards directory to confirm the license status.
   • Search the CMS NPI Registry (NPPES) to confirm the provider’s NPI and practice address. The NPI registry is public and searchable.
4. Call back using a known number: If you were contacted by phone, hang up and call the clinic’s published phone number (not a number from the suspicious caller). Confirm the clinician and the visit with the office staff.
5. Ask how the prescription was sent: If a prescription was issued, ask which pharmacy received the e‑prescription. Call that pharmacy and ask them to confirm the prescriber’s name and NPI. For controlled substances the pharmacy must follow additional verification and PDMP checks; DEA rules and state laws control how these are handled.
6. Check the online pharmacy: If advised to use an online pharmacy, verify the pharmacy at NABP’s Safe.Pharmacy (the Safe Site Search tool) or look for NABP accreditation and a verifiable “.pharmacy” domain. If the site will not show verifiable credentials, do not order.
7. Watch for payment red flags: Never pay by gift card, wire transfer, or crypto for medical care or prescriptions. Use a credit card or an insurer‑approved method so you have consumer protections.
8. Keep records and take screenshots: Save emails, screenshots of the telehealth page, e‑prescription details, and dates/times of calls. This evidence helps investigators if you need to report the fraud.

Caregivers: if you help a relative, perform these steps with them and keep a copy of the checks you performed.

What to do if you suspect fraud — quick reporting and recovery steps

If you suspect you were impersonated, given a fake prescription, or billed fraudulently, act quickly:

• Contact the pharmacy immediately and ask them to hold or cancel the prescription fill; ask what prescriber information they received.
• Call your doctor or clinic (the one you usually use) and tell them what happened; they can advise about medical safety and whether the medicine was appropriate.
• Report to federal and state authorities: File a complaint with the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and contact your state attorney general’s consumer protection office. For Medicare or Medicaid billing abuse, report to HHS OIG so they can investigate fraud against federal health programs.
• Notify your insurer: Tell your health insurer about unexpected telehealth claims or suspicious prescriptions so they can flag or reverse suspicious billing.
• Contact local police for theft or identity fraud if money was taken or your medical identity was used.

Regulators and industry groups are actively pursuing impersonation and telehealth fraud. The FTC has prioritized enforcement under its Impersonation Rule, and health agencies (including the DEA and HHS) continue to update telemedicine guidance as telehealth prescribing evolves — which makes verification by patients even more important.

For seniors who want hands‑on help, AARP’s fraud resources and local senior centers can assist with reporting and prevention steps.

Quick script: What to say if you're unsure

If someone calls and you’re not sure they’re real, use a short script:

"Thank you — I will confirm your clinic/phone number and call back. Please send me your clinic's published phone number and the clinician’s license number in writing."

Then call the clinic’s main number from your phone book, insurance card, or the clinic’s official website.