Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March, various measures have been implemented to control the contagion curve and limit the pressure on health institutions.
The infectious respiratory disease has pharmaceutical companies frantically searching for a vaccine, while other health-related products such as masks and tests remain in short supply. As a result, cybercriminals and opportunists are profiting from the online sale of counterfeit medical supplies.
Counterfeiting and activity in marketplaces
The growing problem of counterfeit masks in China became apparent in February when Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported that Chinese authorities had seized 31 million fake masks during the coronavirus outbreak. Many of the counterfeit medical products entering Europe and the United States originate in Asia.
The World Health Organization has expressed concern about the number of misleading medical devices available on Amazon, the popular marketplace. These items included counterfeit medical devices and supposedly effective treatments available for purchase. The WHO also said that fake news and coronavirus-related content was causing mass confusion among shoppers and urged Amazon to prevent it.
Amazon responded by removing more than a million croatia whatsapp data counterfeit medical products and overpriced items that sellers were seeking to exploit for their own financial gain. eBay reported similar cases, removing hundreds of thousands of coronavirus-related medical devices while suspending thousands of “bad sellers.”
Marketplaces are now focusing their efforts on stocking essential items to help during the situation, and in many cases have delayed or stopped shipping non-essential items, recognizing the important role they play in supporting consumers around the world during these difficult times.
The response of marketplaces could make social media essential platforms for cybercriminals seeking to generate traffic to their websites where they sell counterfeit medical products and medicines.
Definition of fake and falsified
It is important to distinguish between counterfeit medical devices and their counterfeits, and counterfeit and falsified medicines:
Counterfeit medical devices: refers to any medical device with a false presentation of its identity, its source, its CE certificates or documents referring to the process of marking it as a CE product. This definition does not include unintentional non-compliance, without prejudice to infringements of intellectual property rights.