Counterfeiters have flooded the market for N95 and KN95 masks. Here’s how to buy real ones.
The mask features the gold standard N95, with an extra tight fit. There is also KN95 from China, which also provides high filtration, but is somewhat appropriate.
But one year into the epidemic, buying a legitimate heavy-duty medical mask online is downright insane.
fake Trusted sites like Amazon have also flooded the market with fake N95s and KN95s.
Brian x. Chain Recently spent hours comparing online masks and learned how to spot fake mask listings and how to crack fake reviews.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has charts N95 And KN95 Masks that the agency has tested include make, model number, and filtration efficiency. Learn about the trade-offs between the two types of masks.
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Beware of Amazon. Saud Khalifa, founder of FakeSpot, a company that provides tools to detect fake listings and online reviews, said a third-party vendor took control of product listings and sold counterfeits to make a quick buck. “It’s a bit of a wild west,” he said. “You think it’s real and suddenly you get sick.”
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Instead, order from an authorized source that shows proof of authenticity – some manufacturers list steps to verify that a mask is genuine. You can sometimes order directly from the manufacturer, but often you have to buy in large quantities to reduce costs.
