Dispensary scams usually start with a search result that looks right and end with money sent to a stranger. Fake search listings, copycat websites and sellers who promise to ship cannabis to your door are typical versions. The fix is simple: know the red flags, check the license and buy from a store you can walk into.
How dispensary scams work: fake listings and copycat sites
Scammers borrow what makes a real store look trustworthy. They build websites that look official, or put their own phone number next to a real business's name in search results. Some promise home delivery, take payment through an app, then add fees and disappear. Any business with a public listing can be copied, so reach a store through its own website, not a link someone sends you.
Red flags: shipping offers, payment-app requests and pressure to prepay
Walk away if a seller:
- Offers to ship or mail cannabis to your home, in any state
- Wants payment by Cash App, Venmo, Zelle, gift card, cryptocurrency or wire before you've seen a store
- Pushes you to pay now, or adds surprise fees for "insurance," "customs" or a "driver"
- Won't give a street address, or gives one that doesn't match the store's own website
- Never mentions checking your ID
The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers like payment apps because it's hard to get your money back once you send it.
Why licensed shops don't ship cannabis
As of October 2026, adult-use marijuana is still a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law. In 2021, the U.S. Postal Service said THC products other than hemp remain generally prohibited in the mail, even when the sender and buyer live in states that allow cannabis. Moving cannabis between states breaks federal law too.
So a "dispensary" offering to mail cannabis is either breaking federal law or planning to take your money and send nothing. Legal cannabis sales in Michigan go through licensed businesses, never the mail. Our guide to cannabis delivery in Michigan explains how that differs from a mail-order scam.
How to check a Michigan retailer's state license
Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency licenses adult-use and medical cannabis businesses. Its Verify a License tool has separate searches for adult-use establishments and medical facilities.
- Search the business name or city in the agency's tool.
- Make sure the licensed address matches the store you plan to visit.
- Contact the store using details from its own website, not an ad or a text.
- Expect an ID check at the counter. Michigan stores check ID before every sale, and legal products carry the state's required labels.
Our guide to licensed vs. black market cannabis covers the other differences.
Where to find High Society's real store pages, hours and online menu
High Society has eight Michigan stores: Big Rapids, Birch Run, Charlotte, East Lansing, Lenox, Mount Pleasant, New Buffalo and Saline. Each store page on our website lists its own address, hours and directions, so start from our store locations page rather than a search ad.
To order ahead, pick your store on our online menu, add items and choose a pickup time, in store or curbside. Bring a valid ID each time you pick up an order. Our guide to ordering cannabis online walks through each step, and our FAQ covers common questions.
If you already paid: bank, payment app, IC3 and FTC
Act fast:
- Call your bank or card issuer and report the charge as fraud.
- Report it in the payment app. The FTC notes that Cash App and Venmo take reports through in-app chat.
- File with IC3. The FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov), the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime.
- Report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Keep records: screenshots, usernames, phone numbers, web addresses and receipts.
Protecting personal data and security codes
- Never share a one-time security code. The FTC says anyone who asks for the code sent to your phone or email is a scammer.
- Don't text photos of your ID to an online seller. A licensed store checks ID in person.
- Check the web address. A copycat site may swap a letter or add a word to a real store's domain.
Adults 21 and older, and registered medical patients 18 and older, can shop legally at licensed Michigan stores. Valid ID required. Please consume responsibly.
