5 Anti-Coronavirus Products On Amazon That May Be

Quote:

---

5 Anti-Coronavirus Products On Amazon That May Be Ineffective Or Just Plain Fake
Plus, experts break down how to spot a potentially misleading listing.
By
Casey Bond
06/08/2020 07:25pm EDT

With the coronavirus pandemic still in effect, consumers have turned to online retailers for supplies they can’t find in stores. But buying items online, especially those that claim to prevent or treat COVID-19, can be a risky move.

Amazon, the largest e-commerce retailer, has been criticized in the past for allowing vendors to sell defective or counterfeit products on its platform. At the start of the current health crisis, that problem became even more apparent. In late February, the company barred more than a million items from sale on its third-party marketplace due to price gouging and false claims related to COVID-19.

But that doesn’t mean the website is now completely free of fraudulent or misleading product listings. Here’s what you need to know before buying from Amazon, especially products that supposedly protect against the coronavirus.
Anti-COVID Products To Avoid On Amazon

“Before the crackdown, it was really bad,” said Robert Gross, co-founder and COO of Fakespot, a browser plugin that identifies fake product reviews and low-quality sellers. He said there were people selling fake N95 masks, expired masks, herbal remedies and vitamins that claimed to cure COVID-19, and other overpriced, fake or misleading products.

These products weren’t being offered by Amazon directly, but rather by its third-party sellers. As of 2018, 58% of physical products sold through Amazon were from third parties, and Amazon benefits because it doesn’t pay for this inventory upfront. “It’s a really effective way to have enough inventory all around the world ... an unlimited supply of inventory from these third-party sellers,” Gross added.

The drawback is that it provides an opportunity for scammers to take advantage of the platform. With the proliferation of these types of listings in the wake of the pandemic, Amazon had to temporarily shut down its third-party marketplace and restrict the types of products that are allowed to be sold.

“Now the problem has resurfaced because they let third-party sellers back on the platform, and they have taken off [some of] the restrictions from COVID products,” Gross said.

“Stay away from any product that claims to cure or prevent COVID-19. That’s the most obvious sign of a scam.”
- Michael Bonebright, consumer analyst with DealNews

Misleading listings aren’t as widespread or egregious as before ― items like fake cures and testing kits have essentially been eliminated ― but you’ll still come across shoddy face masks, sanitizers that don’t meet the CDC’s guidelines for effectiveness and other products with questionable claims. (HuffPost reached out to Amazon for comment regarding what measures it’s currently taking to prevent these types of potentially fraudulent or misleading listings, but the company did not respond.)

“You might find one or two people trying to get around the system, but Amazon has been very vigilant about shutting those [types of] listings down,” Gross noted. “Unfortunately, problems still exist because these are just general problems with Amazon overall.”

When shopping on Amazon, it’s important to remain skeptical, especially when it comes to the following types of coronavirus-related products:

1. Counterfeit and used medical supplies

One of the most common categories for misleading or fake products is medical supplies, including masks and face shields. Some medical masks, for example, are listed for sale by poorly rated sellers that have been flagged by Fakespot for fake reviews. The problem with these types of listings is that the products can be overpriced, claim to be more effective than they really are or may actually be used, according to Gross.

2. Ineffective or counterfeit sanitizing products

When it comes to products like hand sanitizer and wipes, it’s crucial that they meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for effectiveness. Unfortunately, a lot of the products sold online don’t.

A study by online brand protection software provider Incopro found 272% growth in listings of fake hygiene-related products on e-commerce marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay and Wish in the first quarter of 2020, compared to the equivalent period in 2019.

“Purchasing these products increases health risks due to consumers believing they are protecting themselves when the products have not been properly tested and are likely to be ineffective,” the press release stated.

3. Ineffective UV sanitizer lights

Amazon has many listings for UV light sanitizer devices. However, “many of these devices are cheap fakes that lack the power or spectrum-specificity to work at all,” said Alex Magnin, founder of The Unwinder, which recently published a guide to evaluating UV light sanitizers. “People are buying and using these products based on the trustworthiness of Amazon, but are not, in fact, killing bacteria and viruses on their phones, pocket goods and household items.”

Magnin noted that there are multiple listings with images that depict cheap and/or underpowered LEDs. We found one listing (which has since been removed) that claimed to make the “encironment [sic] safe within 10 seconds” despite no disclosure of wattage and poor positioning of the LEDs.

Also, beware any UV sanitizing product that’s designed for use on your skin. “We know that powerful UV light can be used to disinfect surfaces that have been exposed to COVID-19. However, you should not buy any product that blasts your skin with UV light, as this can cause skin cancer,” said Michael Bonebright, consumer analyst with DealNews.

4. Vitamins, supplements and oils

You should avoid any health product with claims that it can prevent or treat coronavirus. “Not a single vitamin, supplement or medication has been proven to prevent or cure COVID-19,” Bonebright said.

When it comes to products that fall under the purview of the Federal Drug Administration, there is an extensive guide to what the agency does and does not approve.

“In particular, if a supplement or food claims to affect the structure or function of the human body without evidence, be aware that the FDA doesn’t approve these statements,” Bonebright said.

For example, if a vitamin C supplement’s label says it protects against scurvy, the statement is OK because studies have proven this to be true, he explained. However, if a Vitamin C label says it protects against coronavirus, the claim is false and against FDA rules.

5. “Informational” books

If you search for coronavirus treatments on Amazon, you’ll likely find several books in the results. However, these generally aren’t worthwhile publications.

“People are selling books about the ‘COVID cure’ or the ‘COVID story,’” Gross said. “What they are is basically articles people have taken off the internet and put in a PDF.”

In other words, these types of publications aren’t written by experts and don’t necessarily contain vetted information.

---