WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal authorities are investigating a massive operation of counterfeit N95 masks, in which fake 3M masks have been sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. Imitations made abroad are becoming increasingly difficult to detect and may put healthcare professionals at serious risk of contracting the coronavirus.
These masks are giving rescuers “a false sense of security,” said Steve Francis, assistant director for global business investigations for the Department of Homeland Security’s main investigative arm. He added: “We have seen a lot of fraud and other illegal activities.”
Authorities were unable to name the states or the company involved because of the active investigation.
Almost a year after the pandemic began, fraud remains a major problem, as scammers seek to exploit desperate and tired hospitals and Americans. Federal investigators say they have seen an increase in fake websites that intend to sell vaccines, as well as fake medicines produced abroad and fraud involving personal protective equipment. The schemes offer fake products, unlike previous fraud in the pandemic, which focused more on robbing customers.
3M, based in Maplewood, Minnesota, is among the largest global producers of the N95 mask, which has been approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in the United States and is considered the gold standard in protection against coronavirus. The company delivered about 2 billion N95 masks in 2020 as the pandemic skyrocketed, but in the early months of the pandemic, when the masks were in short supply, fraudsters began to emerge.
“They don’t come from authorized distributors,” said Kevin Rhodes, vice president and general counsel, 3M. “They come from companies that are starting to exist”.
Rhodes encouraged medical facilities and even employees to look on the company’s website for tips on how to detect fakes, namely through defective packaging or trademarks.
“These products are not tested to see if they meet N95 standards,” he said. “They are not interested in testing them. They are interested in doing as much as possible at the lowest possible cost. ”
During the pandemic, Homeland Security Investigations used its 7,000 agents in conjunction with border officials, the Food and Drug Administration and the FBI to investigate fraud, seize counterfeit products and arrest hundreds of people to help prevent fraud. The effort is based on the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, a government oversight body that aims to enforce international trade laws and combat intellectual property theft.
More than 1,250 searches by police have already occurred, resulting in the seizure of 10 million counterfeit 3M masks. The company filed more than a dozen lawsuits reports of fraud, counterfeiting and price increases.
There are many other reports of fraudulent masks that have reached frontline officials.
In the most recent case, Homeland Security investigators sent an e-mail warning of possible fraud in some states. The email, seen by The Associated Press, said 3M N95 mask models 1860 and 1860S it may have been supplied 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. Did not respond to requests for comment.
Washington state officials examined their supply of masks, which came from a different company, and found that 300,000 masks they had purchased for about $ 1.4 million were counterfeit. The officers are investigating.
Beth Zborowski, of the Washington State Hospital Association, said the fraud has the potential to affect 1.9 million masks, but they are now in stock, rather than in general circulation.
She said the mask vendor was examined and the masks “passed all physical and visual inspection tests”. Zborowski said that for a while the association was unable to obtain the masks directly from 3M, but the company is now streamlining its order after learning of the fraud.
Health professionals “have many anxieties in their daily lives. They don’t have to worry about whether their masks are fake, ”she said.