Due to the coronavirus, there is a severe shortage of N95 masks and other medical equipment and supplies, and some healthcare providers and states have turned to secondary distribution markets-and found that they may be unreliable and, worse, fraudulent.

Minnesota-based 3M is struggling with this issue because desperate hospitals are in trouble and turn to multinational giants for help, sometimes armed with misinformation provided to them by fraudulent suppliers.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States, 3M, Honeywell, and other legal manufacturers have been working with law enforcement agencies and state attorneys general to increase the shortage of protective medical supplies.

Now, the work of 3M and law enforcement in combating fraud has become more organized. Denise Rutherford, 3M's senior vice president of corporate affairs, said that 3M has set up a hotline 800-426-8688 to help simplify its work and is investigating every instance it knows.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and U.S. State Attorney Erica MacDonald (Erica MacDonald) formed a centralized new Minnesota COVID-19 Action Team on Monday to investigate and prosecute Price fraud, medical device fraud, cybercrime, and hate crime related to COVID-19.

"Scam artists are using public anxiety about COVID-19 to harm consumers," Ellison said.

A few days ago, Ellison’s office sued and closed the online retailer Longmen because it started selling Chinese-made "KN95" masks, which were advertised as genuine N95 masks.

N95 masks are very coveted because they can filter out 95% of particles, most of which are made by 3M.

The FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued fraud alerts for several weeks, telling what to look for-whether in sales pitches or when checking whether any products delivered are actually counterfeit.

Unlike approved N95 masks, fakes usually have misspelled words, inappropriate labels, and earrings or a single string. The customer should also know what approvals are required for the equipment and ensure that the correct approvals are included in the materials.

The Better Business Bureau, which provides anti-fraud webinars, issued a warning on Tuesday that the frantic search for masks, gloves and other equipment to fight COVID-19 has created a "perfect storm of fraudulent activities."

In Minnesota, consumers have notified the Ellison office of the suspected "impersonator" masks being sold online and ordered N95 masks online. "It turned out that a scammer took their money," said Eli Sen Deputy Director John Stills said. staff.

After the company received an e-mail or advertisement that it offered to sell N95 masks at a standard price of $10 instead of $2, the AG office also received a complaint of raising the price. Stills said that others provided gloves, hand sanitizer, nose towels and other supplies at high prices.

Ellison said he is now working with mask and gown manufacturer 3M and other attorney generals to stop fraud involving various personal protective equipment.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey set up a task force to combat fraudulent PPE offers. New York State Attorney General Letitia James is also fighting the complaint.

Last week, hospitals across the country, including the Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, reported that they had received a batch of masks from distributors that had to be returned because the respirators were inappropriate or did not meet medical specifications.

Last week, as 3M was negotiating with the administration of President Donald Trump to increase the number of N95 respirators in the United States, there were reports that the company may have been involved in fraud.

The head of emergency management in Florida, Jared Moskowitz, first said on Twitter and then on Fox News that 3M is using distributors that allegedly accept payments from foreign entities to transfer N95 respirators overseas. other customers.

3M has denied wrongdoing and is working with Moskowitz, his team, law enforcement and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to identify the offending dealer.

"As far as we know, this is not a situation where 3M authorized dealers participate," said Rutherford, 3M's senior vice president. "We are very worried about people being used."

Rutherford said that any complaints about "unethical behavior" will be taken seriously and investigated to determine whether the offender is a legitimate company and whether the products involved are produced by 3M.

3M spokesperson Tim Post said that 3M's new customer hotline allows the company to more quickly determine how to investigate complaints and help customers assess the legality of a given offer.

For example, Premier in North Carolina helped 4,000 hospitals and clinics find supplies, and recently called 3M to verify the legality of the salesperson because the caller said he could provide a large number of N95 masks immediately.

Post said that 3M helped determine that the call was fake.

Other customers’ questions related to emails, some of which allegedly came from 3M representatives who offered products if paid in advance. "They are just carrying out a financial fraud plan," Post said. "They just want to steal some money."

3M took an unusual step on Sunday, denying news reports. The report was first reported in the Financial Times and reprinted by others. The story falsely claimed that a batch of 3M personal protective equipment shipped from China to Berlin was transferred in Thailand and redirected to the United States.

"3M has no evidence that 3M products have been seized," the company said. "3M has no records indicating that the Berlin police ordered any respirators from China."

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