Scammers Selling Fake COVID Tests: How To Know If Yours Is Legit

ACROSS AMERICA — If you don’t manage to get COVID-19 in the post-holiday surge of infections, you could still be one of the victims of the coronavirus, federal officials are warning after an uptick in fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits as scammers take advantage of test shortages.

The Federal Trade Commission said in an advisory this week the proliferation of fake tests not only hits unsuspecting consumers in the pocketbook, they may take false security in test results, fail to get proper treatment or spread the coronavirus to others.

Fake tests are among a growing list of scams surrounding the virus, which remains persistent in the United States and around the world with COVID-19 infection rates remaining at record levels, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University.

To avoid test kit scams, the FTC advises:

• Make sure the test is included on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approved lists of antigen diagnostic tests and molecular diagnostic tests.
• Do your homework and compare online reviews, especially when buying tests from unfamiliar sites. When searching, use the keywords “scam,” “complaint” or “review,” along with the company or website name.
• Make sure you look at user reviews on a variety of retail or shopping comparison websites to get a more-complete assessment of a company, product or service. Approach it critically: Is the review coming from an expert organization or an individual customer?
• Pay with your credit card. It’s easier to dispute the charges for orders you never received or for a product that wasn’t the one advertised.

Scammers have found other ways to exploit the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some other things to keep in mind:

• COVID-19 vaccines are free. It’s a scam if anyone tries to charge you for signing up to get a shot.
• You can’t buy the vaccines. Shots are available only at federal- and state-approved locations.
• Be skeptical of products that claim to treat, prevent, or cure COVID-19. Talk to your health care provider about any remedy before you take it.
• As much as you may want to be an ambassador for getting vaccinated, don’t take photos of your vaccine card and post it on social media. The information can be exploited to steal your identity.
• Don’t fall for it if someone asks for your personal information or money to get a national vaccine passport or certificate. There are no official plans for that — and if someone tells you there is, it’s a scam.
• Contact your state government to check what’s required where you live.
• Before flying, taking a cruise or attending any event, check with companies and venues about the vaccine verification and negative testing requirements.
• Bookmark these websites, coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus, so you can verify information.