WASHINGTON D.C., DC — As the need to find personal protective equipment, or PPE, goes up with more retail stores requiring shoppers to wear things like masks, scammers are looking to cash in.
Now, federal agents have made a major arrest regarding fake PPE masks.
Competition for these masks and other ways to protect yourself is at an all-time high, and a man in Georgia was caught trying to cash in.
"We know there are organized criminal groups that are out there that exploit this crisis. There's a lot of these organizations that have been involved in other criminal activity that we've investigated. So, you mentioned that Christopher Parris individual, he's already under indictment for another ponzi scheme out of New York where he was arrested in January of this year. So, these are criminals that are just looking for another opportunity," acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Matthew Albence said.
39-year-old Parris posed as a broker of surgical masks, attempting to secure an order for more than $750 million from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but there was never any PPE to be delivered.
Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security, is leading a nationwide crackdown.
It has opened over 370 cases and so far arrested 11 people, as part of "Operation Stolen Promise."
"Yeah, we've just scratched the surface as we start going through and conduct our investigations. we have more than 500 leads and sent out to the field. we have ongoing investigations. we've executed dozens of search warrants as we comb through that evidence, you're going to see more of these arrests take place," Albence said.
Nationwide, investigators have turned up more than false purveyors of PPE.
They have uncovered an array of counterfeit or adulterated products, from COVID-19 tests kits and treatments to masks and cleaning products.
We've got the red flags to look out for linked here.