ST. PAUL, Minn., June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M (NYSE:
MMM) 3M has worked with the U.S. Marshals Service in the
Eastern District of Kentucky to
stop the sale of more than one million suspected fake N95
respirators, as part of the company's continuing global effort to
combat pandemic fraud, counterfeiting, and price gouging.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky granted 3M a temporary restraining order stopping
defendant Old World Timber, LLC from selling counterfeit products.
3M then worked with the U.S. Marshals
Service to seize more than one million respirators.
"3M will continue to take action
against those who sell fake products and put lives at risk during
the pandemic, and we appreciate the prompt action by the U.S.
Marshals Service and the court to help protect unsuspecting
customers," said Kevin Rhodes,
3M senior vice president and deputy
general counsel. "We will continue to offer our resources to check
suspicious offers and get counterfeit products off the market."
The case originated when potential customers contacted 3M's
fraud hotlines (1-800-426-8688 in the U.S. or
www.3m.com/covidfraud) to check the authenticity of sales documents
from Old World Timber. 3M
investigated and determined the documents and products were
fake.
Since the pandemic began, 3M has
seized more than 41 million counterfeit N95 respirators in
collaboration with law enforcement and customs agencies around the
world.
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.
3M has investigated more than
14,000 fraud reports to its hotlines globally, and has filed 36
lawsuits to stop those attempting to profiteer from the pandemic
demand for critical supplies.
Online, 3M has removed more than
20,000 false or deceptive social media posts, over 21,000
fraudulent e-commerce offers and at least 315 deceptive domain
names have been taken down.
3M is donating all of the monetary
damages and settlement payments it receives in these cases to
COVID-19 related charities.
3M has created resources to get
the facts about authentic PPE and avoid counterfeit scams at
www.3m.com/covidfraud. If you have any questions whether
respirators you've purchased or are thinking about purchasing are
authentic, 3M is here to
help.
- Counterfeit respirators are made by criminals trying to deceive
customers. These counterfeits do not come from 3M and are not made using 3M's robust quality
controls.
- Counterfeit respirators are not tested and approved like
authentic 3M respirators. Instead,
counterfeit respirators are made by unknown fraudsters, using
unknown processes and materials, with unknown or nonexistent
quality controls.
- As a result, counterfeit respirators cannot be trusted and
should not be purchased or used.
3M recognized the challenge of
COVID-19 and responded early and rapidly to provide critical
supplies needed to fight the pandemic. 3M increased production of N95 and other
respirators critical for doctors, nurses and first responders,
quadrupling the U.S. and global production rate. 3M is helping to protect lives through innovative
products and technologies across a wide range of industries, and
helping prepare the world for next global challenge.
About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in
collaborative ways to improve lives daily as our employees connect
with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M's creative
solutions to global challenges at www.3M.com or on
Twitter @3M or @3MNews.
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SOURCE 3M