3M worked with the U.S. Marshals Service in Kentucky to stop the sale of more than 1 million suspected counterfeit N95 respirators, the company said.
The case originated when potential customers contacted 3M's fraud hotlines (800-426-8688 in the U.S. or www.3m.com/covidfraud) to check authenticity of sales documents from Old World Timber LLC; a subsequent investigation by 3M found the documents and products were fake. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky granted 3M a temporary restraining order stopping Old World Timber from selling the counterfeit products, and 3M then worked with the U.S. Marshals Service to seize more than 1 million respirators.
3M says it has seized more than 41 million counterfeit N95 respirators since the pandemic began and investigated more than 14,000 fraud reports to its hotlines globally. The company has also filed 36 lawsuits to stop those attempting to profiteer from the pandemic demand and donated all damages and settlement proceeds to COVID-19-related charities.
