Federal agents have seized 10 million fake N95 masks

A 3M N95 mask.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Over the last few weeks, federal agents have seized more than 10 million counterfeit 3M brand N95 masks.

The masks have not been tested to see if they meet N95 standards, Homeland Security officials said on Wednesday, and could harm first responders treating COVID-19 patients. "Not only do they give a false sense of security, how dangerous is the exposed individual without any protective gear?" Homeland Security Secretary Ali Mayorkas said. "They have no utility whatsoever."

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About 7,000 federal agents have been investigating counterfeit mask scams during the pandemic, and have made more than 200 arrests while seizing $33 million worth of fake masks. Investigators have contacted about 6,000 possible victims in more than a dozen states to ask them to stop using the masks they have, The Associated Press reports.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.