The pharmacy openly lists facts about its licensing. Although rogue sites can look as sophisticated as legitimate ones, they don't require a similar chain of responsibility. They work in one of two ways. If you pass muster with the doctor, he or she then issues a prescription to whatever pharmacist the web site uses. As part of the consultation, you promise to tell the truth, use the drug properly, and free everyone connected with the site from liability if complications arise.
Rogue sites based overseas can be even more lax.
They usually let people order without answering any questions. That process is illegal, says the FDA, for a few reasons. First, it's illegal to receive any prescription drug from overseas in large quantities. They're not, of course. Moreover, some conditions allayed by such drugs have underlying causes that are far from obvious.