Check the offer before trusting it

Find the record for the person assessing you

Ask for the treating person's full name, profession, and license number. Search the records for the state you will be in during the visit.

Doctors' license records are public through state medical boards. They also publish records of penalties or limits placed on a doctor's practice. What they publish differs by state.

A directory from the Federation of State Medical Boards links to state boards for doctors with MD or DO degrees. These are two kinds of medical degree. Some states have separate boards for each kind of doctor.Find your state's medical board

Compare the name and license details with the offer. Look for a current license and any listed penalties or limits. Ask which board holds the person's record, including for a nurse or another health professional.

A record with no public penalties does not tell you how good a person's care is.

Get the name of the pharmacy

Before agreeing to a medicine, ask for the name of the pharmacy. Keep the pharmacy's name apart from the visit website's name.

FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, provides links for searching state pharmacy licenses.Open the state pharmacy lookup guide

It advises against an online pharmacy missing from your state's license record.

FDA's checklist also calls for a valid prescription, a licensed pharmacist to answer questions, and US contact details.Read the pharmacy checklist

FDA cautions that an unsafe online pharmacy can use a convincing fake storefront.

A license lookup is a place to begin. Ask the next question about the exact product too.

A code or badge does not establish approval

National Drug Code is shortened to NDC; it is a code in a product list. FDA guidance checked September 26, 2026, says the code does not prove the drug is approved.Read what the code means

A facility can also be registered, or listed, with FDA. Under the rule checked September 26, 2026, that listing does not approve its drugs.Read the registration rule

In a March 2026 warning letter, FDA said a seller's website offered cagrilintide for people to take. Its packaging said it was for research only. FDA said those words did not change what the seller was offering.Read the FDA letter

In that letter, FDA claimed that selling those unapproved drugs broke federal law. These were FDA's claims about the seller, not a court ruling. The letter does not say every buyer committed a crime.