A free public-safety service. No account. No tracking. Nothing but your safety.
PillVerifier
Backed by a one-time-use code registry · US Pat. Pending 18/586,077

Is your medication real? Find out in seconds.

Counterfeit pills made to look like real prescriptions are a leading cause of fentanyl deaths in the United States. PillVerifier checks your medication's unique code directly against the manufacturer's registry — free, anonymous, no account.

One code, one check. The moment a code is verified it is permanently retired — a real code can never be copied onto counterfeit product.
Straight from the source. Only the manufacturer (or a government authority) can issue codes into the registry.
Nothing but your safety. No login, no tracking, no data sold. Ever.

Verify your medication

Enter the unique code printed on your medication or its packaging — or scan it with your phone's camera.

Free · Anonymous · Works on any phone

7 in 10
fake prescription pills tested contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl
Source: U.S. DEA laboratory testing
1 code = 1 check
every verified code is permanently retired, so it can never be reused on a fake
The core of our patent-pending registry
$0
what you'll ever pay — verification is a public-safety service, not a product
No account. No tracking.
How it works

Three steps between you and certainty

Every participating medication carries a unique one-time code issued by its own manufacturer. Checking it takes less time than reading this sentence.

1

Find the code

Look for the unique code printed on the unit or its packaging — a 16-character code like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, often alongside a scannable square barcode.

2

Scan or type it

Use the camera button to scan the barcode with your phone, or type the code in by hand. No app to install, no account to create.

3

Get a straight answer

We query the manufacturer's registry and give you one of four unambiguous answers — and the code you checked is retired forever, protecting the next person.

Verified authenticThe code was issued by the manufacturer and had never been checked. It has now been permanently retired.
🚫
Code already usedSomeone checked this code before. Reused codes are a strong sign of counterfeit product — do not take it.
Not in the registryNo manufacturer ever issued this code. Treat the medication as counterfeit and potentially lethal.
Recalled lotThe manufacturer pulled this entire lot. Do not take it — return it to your pharmacy.
Why it can't be faked

A code that dies when it's checked

Old anti-counterfeit systems failed for one reason: criminals copied a single real code onto thousands of fake packages, and every one of them "verified." Our registry closes that loophole.

🏭

Manufacturers hold the keys

Only the medication's manufacturer — or a government authority — can mint codes into the registry. Nobody else can create a "valid" code, at any price.

🔥

Checking retires the code

The first time anyone checks a code, it is permanently invalidated. Copy a real code onto 10,000 fakes and 9,999 buyers see a red warning.

🧾

Every check is on the record

Verifications are logged to a permanent audit trail, so manufacturers can spot counterfeit hot-spots by lot and region — and recall instantly.

Protect yourself

How to spot a fake medicine

No photo or appearance check can prove what's inside a pill — counterfeit "M30" pills are pressed to look identical to real oxycodone. But these red flags should stop you before you ever take one.

It didn't come from a licensed pharmacy. Pills from social media, dealers, or unverified online sellers are the #1 source of fentanyl-laced fakes.
The price is too good to be true. Steep discounts on prescription drugs — especially painkillers, Xanax, or Adderall — are a classic counterfeit tell.
The packaging is off. Misspellings, blurry printing, broken seals, missing lot numbers or expiration dates, or no unit code where one should be.
The pill looks different. Wrong color, crumbly texture, uneven imprint, or a different shape than your usual prescription. Compare against your pharmacy's label.
No prescription was required. Legitimate sellers of prescription medicine always require one. "No Rx needed" means counterfeit or illegal — often both.
It has no verifiable code. As manufacturers adopt unit codes, a missing or already-used code is itself a warning. When in doubt, ask your pharmacist.

If your pill has no code, treat it as dangerous.

Any pill that did not come from a licensed pharmacy can contain a lethal dose of fentanyl — and nothing about how it looks can rule that out. Free fentanyl test strips and naloxone (Narcan) are available in most states.

911If someone may be overdosing, call immediately. Naloxone (Narcan) reverses opioid overdose and is available over the counter.
1-800-222-1222Poison Control — free, confidential, 24/7 guidance from pharmacists and nurses.
1-800-332-1088FDA MedWatch — report a suspect or counterfeit medication so it can be pulled from circulation.
Get in touch

Talk to a person

PillVerifier is run by people, not a call centre. Every message goes to a real inbox and gets read.

Not for emergencies. If someone may be overdosing call 911. For urgent medication-safety questions call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, and report suspect medicine to FDA MedWatch at 1-800-332-1088.