COVID test scams spread alongside free kits

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) – As people go online to order their free COVID test kits, the Better Business Bureau is warning people to be aware of test kit scams out there.

Dick Eppstein from the Better Business Bureau says the pandemic is a perfect breeding ground for scams that feed off of people’s fears. He points to the scams that surfaced surrounding fake masks and hand sanitizers earlier in the pandemic.

There are two major types of scams circulating surrounding COVID test kits. The first are websites that pretend to be selling the kits but they’re just trying to steal and sell your personnel information. “People go on the website. they put in their name their address their social security number. their bank account numbers their credit card numbers and there are no kits the complete thing is a fake.”

The second scam involves selling fake kits. “They are kits that are knock-offs made who knows where and they will see these to you for 30 40 dollars and when you receive them they’re not approved. They’re no good they’re junk and people throw them away they’re useless.”

If you want to know if the test kit is legitimate look on the front of the test kit box. It will say “For use under an Emergency Use Authorization only.”

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WTVG. All rights reserved.