False: FBI has taken back all the face masks which are tested positive for COVID-19.

By: Ankita Kulkarni
August 13 2020

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False: FBI has taken back all the face masks which are tested positive for COVID-19.

Fact-Check

The Verdict False

The FBI had seized boxes containing medical equipment from a house in Brooklyn who was selling medical essentials at inflated prices.

Claim ID 118b5f94

The FBI had seized boxes containing medical equipment from a house in Brooklyn who was selling medical essentials at inflated prices.A viral video claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had seized all the masks coming in from China, which were infected with COVID-19. However, the video was first posted by CTV News on April 2, 2020, which featured the FBI agents confiscating the boxes from a house in Brooklyn. The U.S. Department of Justice press release states that Baruch Feldheim, a 43-year-old man from Brooklyn, was arrested by the FBI's special agents on March 30, 2020. He was charged for allegedly coughing on FBI agents while claiming to have COVID-19 infection. Baruch Feldheim was also accused of taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis and equipment shortages at New York's hospitals and made medical workers pay high prices for surgical masks, medical gowns, and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.

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