Counterfeiters Attempting to Take Advantage of Coronavirus Pandemic

As the need for masks arises amid the Coronavirus outbreak, counterfeiters are taking advantage of the demand to scam those looking to actually help out in the battle against the disease.

39 Million Fake Masks

A massive stockpile of 39 million masks was discovered by a major California labor union, only to later be confirmed as fake masks that are part of an elaborate scam. FBI investigators found out about the new scheme while checking if they could intercept the masks under the Defense Production Act.

US Attorney Scott Brady told the Los Angeles Times a little bit about the deal, detailing that it was tracked back to a businessman in Pittsburgh, who was collaborating with the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West to secure the masks from an Australian broker and a supplier in Kuwait.

The businessman and the union aren’t being investigated, as Brady said that the most probable scenario is they were just middlemen who got fooled by the other two, who are being looked into.

The 39 million masks stockpile was first announced on March 26th, although the deal quickly turned sour as buyers never received any adequate information on where they can inspect the shipment. Brady added that no money was exchanged in the attempts to finalize a deal.

As the demand for masks keep rising, counterfeiters are taking advantage of any angle they can to make money as millions are losing jobs globally. The massive stockpile, however, was certainly fake from the beginning, as the masks were purported to be N95 masks produced by 3M. Federal investigators later learned that 3M had only manufactured roughly 20 million such masks last year.