3M Expands Actions Globally to Fight COVID Fraud, Counterfeiting and Price-gouging

07 October 2020: While 3M continues to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic from every angle, and help ensure a safe supply of needed personal protective equipment (PPEs), the company is now engaged in a new battle called ‘Fraud, Counterfeiting and Price-gouging’ around the world, concerning PPEs. 3M is engaged with many major e-marketplace operators to detect and disrupt fraudulent and counterfeit respirator offers, including Amazon, Alibaba, Mercadolibre, Lazada, eBay, Flipkart, Shopee, Made-in-China and several others.

3M has launched an intense legal effort to stop profiteers who are attempting to take advantage of the demand for 3M products used by healthcare workers and first responders. 3M has been awarded damages or has received settlement payments in seven cases, with all proceeds being donated to COVID-19 related charities.

In India, 3M is working with law enforcement agencies in multiple states to investigate and raid manufacturing operations producing counterfeit N95 respirators, and resellers offering counterfeit N95 respirators to the public, seizing fake products and holding bad actors responsible.
Building on this work, 3M has established hotlines around the world to report suspected fraud and has created online resources to help spot price-gouging, identify authentic 3M respirators and ensure products are from 3M authorized distributors.

Through an official clarification, 3M has said that it has not, and will not, increase the prices of its respirators as a result of the pandemic. 3M has factories to produce respirators and other critical products needed to fight COVID-19 in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.