Monday, February 22, 2021

U.S. Agents Seize 10 Million Counterfeit N95 Face Masks

 N95 masks are advertised as a way to protect individuals from outside particles. The masks that we now all have to wear are meant to protect us from the airborne stands of COVID-19. But last Wednesday in a Long Island City warehouse was seized by authorities and uncovered a major supply of counterfeit masks and disinfecting supplies. Originally, on my last post, the public was notified that there was 1.7 million counterfeit N95 masks but now United States Agents have seized up to 10 million counterfeit masks in the warehouse. Consumers have been supplied with millions of masks and some of these consumers could be using these counterfeit masks that cannot secure their health. The agents that uncovered this warehouse have announced to thousands of medical facilities to not use these masks. The Department of Homeland Security has notified the public that these fake masks were put together in china and sold throughout the United States and have so far been seized in five different states. This counterfeit scheme has now opened up a criminal investigation conducted by the DHS. Last week, the warehouse manager, Zhi Zeng, was charged with felony trademark counterfeiting and could be arrested as the investigation bring in more information. The issue with this scheme occurring is the concerns that it brings to consumers that are worried about their health. The use of masks is a way for people to protect themselves from COVID-19 and these fake masks could cause some serious health problems as they do not completely work like real N95s. The sellers and producers are responsible for falsely selling “real N95” masks to consumer and neglecting their health


Jesse Solis

The Wall Street Journal - Article by Yuka Hayashi

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-agents-seize-10-million-counterfeit-n95-face-masks-11613603061?page=1

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