MedPlus misleading buyers with ‘fake’ N95 masks!

By Qamar ZJ

MedPlus, the 14-year-old pharmacy chain from Hyderabad with branches across India, is found to be misleading its customers. By labelling their product as ‘N95 mask’, they are selling non-branded, non-certified face masks which don’t have the valves or the filtration capacity of an N95 mask which promise greater protection to the wearer due to their fit and air sealing capability.

Therefore, not only are they trying to sell N95 masks for just Rs 95, but also indulging in what appears to be ‘fake’ masks to boot. The purported N95 we received had no branded packaging or any logo markings and approval numbers on it. To make their deal even more attractive, MedPlus is giving the MRP as Rs 200 and selling it for Rs 95. Therefore, not only do they appear to be selling non-certified masks, but also cheating the consumers by naming them ‘N95’. 

When the customer care called to address our concern when such a mask was delivered to one of our staffers, they said that “this was another type of N95 mask”. While this may be true, we are not sure about that. Though there are N95 grade face masks without the valves, what causes suspicion is that these masks don’t carry any certifications or branded packaging to certify their authenticity. When the matter was escalated at MedPlus, another representative called and said that they will rectify the issue online. Several days later, the website still has the same KN95 mask masquerading as an N95 mask with no certifications. Here is a video that details different ways to check if it’s a fake or authentic mask. By all accounts, this mask being sold by MedPlus appears to be fake as it carries no endorsements by regulatory agencies or the approval number.

Those who are infected with COVID-19 should wear cloth masks, surgical masks or the KN95 masks that have no valves. The Union Health Ministry is also asking the sick not to wear N95 masks as these masks have the propensity of spreading the reach of the virus as their forcefully exhaled air (due to the valve) is contaminated. Therefore, whoever inhales this air is likely to get infected. This scenario is only true if the infected person is moving outside their homes or staying in quarantined facilities. But we have come across reports of quarantined people roaming outside their homes without masks. Such people need to be reported and you can know by the quarantine seal on their hands. Just call 100 and they will take care of this reckless behavior.

Fake masks have become a big problem across the world and in India. Reigning in errant manufacturers and retailers is a mammoth issue as there are over 150 of them in India alone. There are frequent reports of fake mask seizures by the city police. When we asked MedPlus to replace the fake N95 mask with an original, they sent a similar mask as the one before. We returned the replacement. The courier person said, “We received complaint that it was a damaged mask and therefore brought a fresh one.” We explained to him about the features of an N95 respirator mask and the branded packaging that was missing even in the replacement unit – it just came in a plastic cover like before. Here is the picture of the mask that was first sent to us and the one that was sent as a replacement. Both lacked valves, a regular feature of N95 respirator masks. The shortage of masks is another reason for the spurt in scams worldwide.