ICE Working With Healthcare, E-Commerce Companies to Fight COVID-19 Scams
The Homeland Security Investigations unit within ICE is working with multiple healthcare and e-commerce companies to fight fraudsters that are trying to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic, ICE said in a news release. “Since the start of the pandemic, HSI and other law enforcement agencies have seen a significant increase in criminals attempting to capitalize and profit from the fear and anxiety surrounding the virus, including the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and medical equipment and illicit online sales and trade importation violations of products claiming to be treatment options,” it said. The partnership involves industry experts from Pfizer, 3M, Citi, Alibaba, Amazon and Merck, it said.
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The effort is being handled through the HSI National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. “As of May 4, HSI special agents have opened over 315 investigations nationwide; seized over $3.2 million dollars in illicit proceeds; made 11 arrests; executed 21 search warrants; analyzed over 19,000 COVID-19 domain names; and worked alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection to seize 494 shipments of mislabeled, fraudulent, unauthorized or prohibited COVID-19 test kits, treatment kits, homeopathic remedies, purported anti-viral products and personal protective equipment (PPE),” ICE said.