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WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. Foreign-made knockoffs are increasingly difficult to spot and could put healthcare workers at serious risk of coronavirus.
These masks give first responders “a false sense of security,” said Steve Francis, deputy director of global trade investigations in the Department of Homeland Security’s main investigative arm. He added: “We have seen a lot of fraud and other illegal activities.”
Officials were unable to name the states or company involved due to the ongoing investigation.
Almost a year after the start of the pandemic, fraud remains a major problem as crooks seek to exploit hospitals and desperate and tired Americans. Federal investigators say they have seen an increase in the number of fake websites claiming to sell vaccines as well as fake drugs produced abroad and scams involving personal protective equipment. The systems deliver bogus products, unlike the fraud at the start of the pandemic which focused more on customer fraud.
3M, based in Maplewood, Minnesota, is one of the world’s largest producers of the N95 mask, which has been approved by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and is considered the gold standard for protection against the coronavirus. The company shipped some 2 billion N95 masks in 2020 as the pandemic skyrocketed, but in the early months of the pandemic, when masks were scarce, scammers began to appear.
“They are not from authorized distributors,” said Kevin Rhodes, vice president and associate general counsel, 3M. “They come from companies that have just started.”
Rhodes encouraged medical facilities and even workers to check the company’s website for advice on how to spot fake, namely by defective packaging or brands.
“These products are not tested to see if they meet N95 standards,” he said. “They are not interested in testing them. They want to make as many as possible at a lower cost. ”
During the pandemic, Homeland Security Investigations used its 7,000 agents in tandem with border officials, the Food and Drug Administration and the FBI to investigate scams, seize bogus products and arrest hundreds to help stop the fraud . The effort is based at the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, a government watchdog aimed at enforcing international trade laws and fighting intellectual property theft.
There have already been more than 1,250 law enforcement raids that have resulted in the seizure of 10 million counterfeit 3M masks. The company has filed more than a dozen lawsuits on reports of fraud, counterfeiting and predatory pricing.
There are numerous other reports of fraudulent masks reaching frontline workers.
In the latter case, Homeland Security investigators sent an email warning of potential fraud to some states. The email, viewed by The Associated Press, listed the 3M N95 1860 and 1860S mask models may have been provided by a company called Q2 Solutions and the masks may be fraudulent. The masks have a seal that says “Peru”, which is not used outside of Latin America. The company is headquartered in Miami and has offices in the United States and around the world. He did not respond to requests for comment.
Washington state officials examined their supply of masks, which came from another company, and found that 300,000 masks they had purchased for around $ 1.4 million were counterfeit. Officials are investigating.
Beth Zborowski of the Washington State Hospital Association said the fraud could affect 1.9 million masks, but they are mostly in stock now rather than in general circulation.
She said the mask supplier had been vetted and the masks “passed all physical and visual inspection tests.” Zborowski said that for some time the association was unable to obtain the masks directly from 3M, but the company is now shipping its order after learning of the fraud.
Healthcare workers “have a lot of anxiety on a daily basis. They also don’t need to worry about whether their masks are fake, ”she said.
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