How do I spot fake or scam GLP-1 sellers?

The GLP-1 gray market is large, professional-looking, and genuinely dangerous — FDA has documented counterfeit Ozempic pens in the legitimate supply chain, insulin sold in semaglutide packaging, and “research peptides” containing anywhere from 0% to 300% of label dose. The tells, in rough order of reliability: Instant disqualifiers (any one = leave): 1. No prescription required. GLP-1s are prescription drugs in the U.S., full stop. “Fill out a form” without clinician review is not a prescription. 2. “Research use only” / “not for human consumption” on a site whose testimonials are all weight-loss stories. This phrasing is a legal fig leaf for selling unregulated chemicals to humans. 3. No nameable pharmacy. Legitimate compounded products come from a licensed 503A/503B pharmacy the seller names on request (why). “Our partner lab” is not a name. 4. Impossible prices. Real compounded programs cluster at $199–$450/month including clinical services. “$89 semaglutide kits” are missing the pharmacy, the prescriber, or the semaglutide. 5. Selling what cannot legally exist: retatrutide, “oral tirzepatide drops,” brand pens at half price from overseas, or “generic Ozempic” (no U.S. generic semaglutide exists). Softer red flags that compound: crypto/Zelle/wire-only payment; no physical U.S. address or state licensure information; “FDA-approved” claimed for compounded products (a contradiction — explainer); vials arriving without pharmacy labels, beyond-use dates, or patient names; social-media DM sales funnels; and sites that cannot tell you which clinician reviewed your intake. Verification tools that take two minutes: NABP’s Safe.Pharmacy site search, your state pharmacy-board license lookup (every state has one), and your state medical-board lookup for the prescriber’s name. Legitimate operations expect these checks; sketchy ones melt under them. If you already bought from a gray-market source: don’t inject it. Report to FDA MedWatch, dispute the charge, and route through one of the safe lanes — the price difference is smaller than people assume, and it buys you an actual drug.