COVID-19 test kits, masks hot commodity for global scams

Deciphering shady from legit companies selling high demand items can be complicated

TONIGHT- FEDERAL AUTHORITIES AREWARNING YOU, BUSINESSES AND EVENOUR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTSABOUT UNSCRUPULOUS DEALERSTRYING TO PROFIT OFF THECOVID-19 PANDEMIC.

I’M PATRICKNOLAN.AND I’M JANE MONREAL.

AS 4 INYOUR CORNER’S KATIE LAGRONESHOWS US-- DECIPHERING WHO’SSHADY AND WHO’S LEGIT CAN BECHALLENGING AND HAS ALREADY SOMEFLORIDA LEADERS LEARNING LESSONSTHE HARD WAY.17-27133-145214-227AS THE COVID-19 VIRUS CONTINUESTO PLAGUE THE COUNTRYTHE SEARCHIS ON FOR EQUIPMENT TO STOP ITSSPREADFROM N-95 MASKS TO APPROVEDCOVID-19 TESTING KITSTHE MARKET TO BATTLE THEPANDEMIC IS HOTBUT ACCORDING TOFEDERAL AUTHORITIESTHEOPPORTUNITY TO GET DUPED BY ITIS ALSO HEATING UP.FBI agent-:36- the scammernever waste any opportunity todevelop new ways of rippingpeople off.BUT WE FOUND DECIPHERING THELEGIT FROM THE QUESTIONABLE ATTIME OF FEAR AND CHAOS CAN GETCOMPLICATEDTAKE FOR EXAMPL━THIS CHINESE BIOTECH COMPANYLAST WEEK WE RECEIVED A TIP FROMA MIDDLEMAN THAT THE COMPANY HAD"15million" COVID-19 TESTINGKITS AVAILABLEA YOU TUBE VIDEO TOUTS FASTRESULTS--You tube :45- the results shouldbe interpreted in 10 minutes:AND ACCOMPANYING PAPERWORKINCLUDED A CLINICAL STUDY ANDCOPIES OF CERTIFICATES MEANT TOPROVE THE KITS ARE APPROVED INEUROPEBUT TAKE A CLOSER LOO━THECERTIFICATE LOOKS NOTHING LIKETYPICAL ONESTHE SYMBOLBLURRYAND WHEN WE CONTACTED THECOMPANY WITH QUESTIONSWE GOT IN RETURNTHIS BOILERPLATE EMAIL NOT ANSWERING OURQUESTIONS BUT INSTEAD INFORMINGUS"Our productivity has reachedthe maximum limit due to largeoverseas orders."FL Emerg Mgmt.

Director 1:14-there’s something really wrongin the market, there’s somethingthat’s broken.IT’S A GLOBAL PROBLEMEVENFLORIDA’S DIVISION OF EMERGENCYMANAGEMENT HAS FALLEN VICTIM TOIN ITS QUEST TO PURCHASEMILLIONS OF N-95 MASKS ONLY TOBE MET, ITS DIRECTORS SAYS, BYPHANTOM COMPANIES ON A MISSIONFOR MONEY.FL Emer Mgmt.

Director 1:01-going to warehouses that areempty, being told their onplanes that don’t exist actuallyon any flight pattern, I’vesigned probably half a billiondollars’ worth of PO’s and Ifeel like all I’ve purchased isair because these things justdon’t existTHE FBI WARNS-- GOVERNMENTS AREESPECIALLY VULNERABLE TO LARGESCALE SCHEMES.Fbi- 10:05- in most cases theyprefer gov’ts bc gov’ts havedeeper pockets than individualsor companies do.WE’VE CONTINUED TO REACH OUT TOTHIS COMPANYBUT TO DATE, THEIRONLY RESPONSE REMAINS THIS ONEEMAILINDICATING THEY HAVE MAXEDOUT ORDERSBUT HAVE RECEIVED BOTH EUROPE’SNOD OF APPROVALAND THEFD━WHICH ACCORDING TO THEFD━IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE.Tag out-The big lesson for anyoneDo your homeworkuse theinternet to start digging forinformationand if a companyclaims a device is fda appro