The California State Board of Pharmacy recently warned pharmacies of an uptick in fraudulent California security prescription forms for controlled substances. The pharmacy board is encouraging pharmacies to take appropriate precautions to verify the legitimacy of prescriptions written by prescribers who have been identified as victims of this fraud.

The pharmacy board maintains a list by county of prescribers who have reported stolen or fraudulent California security prescription forms. Pharmacies that receive prescriptions from a provider on this list have been advised to verify the prescription by contacting the provider's office using a phone number obtained from a source other that the prescription form itself.

If you believe you are a victim of prescription fraud, see California Medical Association (CMA) On-Call document #3202,"Drug Prescribing: Unauthorized," which will walk you through the steps for reporting the incident to Federal and State agencies.

On-Call documents are free to members in CMA's Health Law Library. Nonmembers can purchase On-Call documents for $2 per page.