Forged prescription notifications

It is illegal for a person to forge or fraudulently alter or utter a prescription or other document, or be in possession of them knowing they are forged or fraudulently altered, for the purpose of obtaining a prescription drug.

If a pharmacist has reasonable cause to believe that a prescription or any other document has been forged or fraudulently altered, that prescription or document must be retained and sent to the Commissioner of Police.

A fraudulently altered prescription or document refers to any changes made by someone other than the prescriber or author.

Examples include adding a drug or making changes to the date, quantity or dispensing instructions. Any alterations should be confirmed with the prescriber. If unsure of the validity of a prescription, you should not dispense the prescription until you can get in contact with the prescriber.

What to do if presented with a forged or fraudulently altered prescription or document?

If presented with a forged or fraudulently altered prescription, the pharmacist must:

  1. contact SA Police on 131 444 to report the incident and seek police attendance
  2. complete the Notification to police of a prescription suspected of being forged or fraudulently altered (RF 1661) (PDF 154KB)
  3. provide the completed form plus the forged/fraudulently altered prescription/document to the police when they attend
  4. fax a copy of the form and forged/fraudulently altered prescription/document to the Drugs of Dependence Unit
  5. retain a copy for your records.