(TAIWAN NEWS) – U.S. federal agents have seized more than 11 million counterfeit 3M N95 masks in recent weeks as part of a fraud investigation related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the fake masks were made in China, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). A million counterfeit N95 masks were confiscated on Wednesday (Feb. 17), bringing the total number of knockoff masks to more than 11 million, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas said during a news conference, according to The New York Times.
After being tipped off by 3M, DHS officials said they have seized counterfeit items in five states — without specifying which ones — and have opened criminal investigations, but did not offer more details. 3M is the largest producer of N95 masks in the U.S.
