Protective masks are extremely popular in the corona crisis. This is used by fraudsters who want to cash in with counterfeit and inferior products. Now the European police force Europol warned the EU countries of this scam. According to SPIEGEL information, a confidential report to the police authorities in the individual countries speaks of criminal gangs who, because of the high demand for protective materials, sense a quick deal and offer ineffective cheap goods at government agencies and clinics.
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According to SPIEGEL information, the German authorities have also been experiencing a surge in corresponding offenses in connection with the Corona crisis firmly. “In the case of fraud, the fear of the corona virus is exploited in a variety of ways,” says a confidential note from the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
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Accordingly, that registers Federal Criminal Police Officethat “counterfeit medicines and medical devices such as protective masks and hand disinfectants against Covid-19 and alleged tests for home use are increasingly being offered on the Internet”. In addition, theft from medical device warehouses is increasing.
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The police in Frankfurt also reported “the emergence of a black market for protective equipment”, on which the material, like on the stock exchange, would be auctioned according to demand. Because of the appearance of organized gangs, the authorities ordered two weeks ago that the federal police had to guard large-scale transports of masks.
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Europol has been warning for weeks that fake face masks are being circulated. The European Police Department is assuming that the sale of counterfeit masks or those that do not meet the specified standards will increase. The background is the mask requirement, which many federal states or EU countries are now introducing. It leads to increased demand (you can find an overview of the mask requirement in the federal states here).
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Europol has prepared a detailed report on the phenomenon. “The international criminal groups involved in the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit goods have once again proven to be very adaptable,” it says.
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As a result, the criminal groups were quickly able to adapt new products such as masks, alleged corona tests or anti-malaria products to the growing demand. Most counterfeit goods would not be Darknet, but offered on the easily accessible internet, said the police authority.
The authority cites an intervention by the French police as examples of successful police work. The company ensured that websites that offered corona virus tests had to go online and that the results were promised within two minutes. An anti-fraud unit in Romania confiscated 1900 masks intended for hospitals. The masks, apparently manufactured by a company in Brazil, do not meet the necessary standards, it said.
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Europol warns that if there is a coronavirus vaccine, fraud may increase again. “This will very likely trigger the next wave of counterfeit vaccines,” the report said. Belgian Europol director Catherine De Bolle said at the end of March: “Such criminal activities during a health crisis are particularly dangerous and can endanger human life.”
The federal government hopes to alleviate the shortage of masks with several large transports from China. From April 23, according to SPIEGEL information, three giant Antonov military transporters, which are normally used for NATO military equipment, arrive in Germany with mask deliveries every two days. There are around 15 million protective masks and other medical supplies on board.
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