WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Earlier this week, the Washington State Hospital Association alerted the state’s hospitals that some N95 masks were knockoffs.
Now, federal authorities are investigating another counterfeit mask operation affecting at least five states.
Homeland Security investigators sent an email to certain states warning of a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies.
The email said the masks may have been provided by a Miami-based company called Q2 Solutions.
In Washington state, officials discovered that 300,000 masks purchased from another supplier for about $1.4 million were counterfeit.
Beth Zborowski of the Washington State Hospital Association said the fraud has the potential to affect 1.9 million masks but they are mostly in stockpile now rather than general circulation.