Manufacturers of N95 masks and law enforcement are cracking down on dangerous counterfeits that do not provide coronavirus protection.
The Better Business Bureau on Tuesday issued a warning that the frantic hunt for masks, gloves and other equipment to protect against COVID-19 has produced “the perfect storm for scam activity,” reports the Chicago Tribune.
Both 3M and law enforcement are becoming more organized in their efforts to fight the fraud. 3M has set up a hotline, 800-426-8688, to help streamline its efforts and is investigating every instance it knows about, said Denise Rutherford, the company’s senior vice president of corporate affairs.
Fakes often sport misspelled words and inappropriate labels and come with ear-loops or a single string, unlike approved N95 masks. Customers also should know what the required approvals are for devices and make sure the correct ones are in the materials.