Scams Promising to Kill Coronavirus Spread on Crowdfunding Platforms
Persistent efforts will be required as sellers discover new ways to covertly market their goods
Teas, homeopathic tinctures, and essential oils are being hawked online as coronavirus treatments. One such seller promoted an herbal brew called “Coronavirus Protocol.” Another claimed that drinking harmful colloidal silver could strengthen the immune system. None have been approved by the Food and Drug and Administration.
On Monday, the FDA issued warning letters to seven sellers of such fraudulent COVID-19 products — like the herbal tea and colloidal silver merchants — who now face legal recourse. But the FDA action was an exception: More often, the frontline defenders against profiteering schemes are the digital platforms where they are funded, advertised, and sold.
How to moderate an outbreak of phony products is a formidable task for websites already teeming with medical disinformation. Last month, Amazon removed more than 1 million products claiming to cure the disease. Others are scrubbing items that even mention “coronavirus.” Etsy removed hundreds of such listings, from crochet virus art to shirts saying “I Survived Coronavirus 2020,” according to BuzzFeed News. Meanwhile, eBay has enforced a full ban on face…
