WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal agents have seized more than 10 million fake 3M-branded N95 masks in recent weeks, the result of an ongoing investigation of counterfeits sold to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies in at least five states.
The most recent seizures took place on Wednesday when Homeland Security agents intercepted hundreds of thousands of counterfeit 3M masks in an East Coast warehouse that were to be distributed, officials said.
Investigators also notified about 6,000 potential victims in at least 12 states, including hospitals, medical facilities, and others who may have unwittingly purchased knock-offs, urging them to stop using the medical-grade masks . Officials encouraged healthcare professionals and businesses to visit 3M’s website for tips on how to spot counterfeits.
“Not only do they give a false sense of security, how dangerous is the exposed person without any protective equipment? They are of no use at all, ”said Homeland Security Minister Ali Mayorkas about the fake masks.
The masks do not come through 3M’s regular distributors, they come from outside the normal supply chain, officials said. But hospitals and medical groups have increasingly followed normal purchasing routines during mask shortages during the global pandemic, officials said. They said the scam takes advantage of the panic over masks.
Homeland Security officials declined to say which states the fake masks had been sent to, but said criminal charges would follow.
The fake masks have not been tested to see if they meet strict N95 standards and could pose a risk to primary care medical personnel if used during the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
Nearly a year after the pandemic, fraud remains a major problem as scammers try to exploit hospitals and desperate Americans. Federal investigators say they have seen an increase in fake websites claiming to sell vaccines, as well as fake drugs produced abroad and personal protective equipment scams. The systems deliver fake products, unlike earlier in the pandemic when fraudsters focused more on fleecing customers.
3M, based in Maplewood, Minnesota, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of the N95 mask, which is approved by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. It is considered the gold standard in protection against the coronavirus. The company supplied about 2 billion N95 masks in 2020 as the pandemic intensified, but in the early months, when masks were scarce, fraudsters took advantage.
So far during the pandemic, Homeland Security Investigations used its 7,000 agents, along with border officials, the Food and Drug Administration and the FBI, to investigate the scam, seizing $ 33 million worth of fake products and arresting more than 200 people . The effort is based on the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, a government watchdog dedicated to enforcing international trade laws and fighting intellectual property theft.
In the past two weeks, federal agents have executed search warrants and seized masks in five different states, and more action is expected. But in other cases, fake masks have already made it to the front lines
3M is increasingly dealing with fraud. In the past year there have been more than 1,250 raids by law enforcement officials, in which millions of fake masks have been seized. The company has filed more than a dozen lawsuits on reports of fraud, counterfeiting and price gouging.