Health officials are warning consumers about fake at-home COVID-19 tests.
Use caution when buying COVID-19 tests, particularly online.
COVID-19 cases drop 17% globally
How to be careful
CEO and founder of IPromo, Leo Friedman, said that there are scammers trying to sell fake tests online. It is important to do some research before buying.
Friedman said, “you go to these mom-and-pop supermarkets or small tiny pharmacies and what they’ll do is get tests from Korea or Europe that are not FDA approved.”
On the FDA website there is a list of COVID-19 tests that they have approved.
Some of the tests that end up here are ruined because on inadequate shipping, but there are also just fake tests.
Before you buy a test try searching the brand with words like ‘scam’ or ‘review.’ It is likely that the faulty tests may have already been reported.
If you decide to order online, be sure to use a credit card. This way if you got a fake test, or never got one at all, you can dispute the charge.
Testing at an authorized location in person is another great option, but not always feasible.