International body warns of fraud trends in Personal Protective Equipment and Medical Devices

 The ICT Council, the International Association that brings together all "Testing, Inspection and Certification" entities, and in which the PORTUGUESE ISQ Institute participates as a member of the Board of Directors, alerts buyers of personal protective equipment (EPIs) to emerging fraud trends related to the acquisition of this type of equipment in the current pandemic context, fruit of its scarce supply. This international body has been notified of the existence of a large number of falsified Conformity Assessment certificates that are being used, without confirmation of the validity and safety of personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as medical devices (DM). In the current pandemic context, the use of uncertified (fraudulent) equipment or devices can increase the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus and put the health and safety of people in danger. For this reason, the ICT Council recommends that any purchaser of PPE and/or medical devices, public or private, verify the validity of certificates of conformity. There are several specific steps that a buyer should take into account: (1) Request the certificate from the PPE/medical device provider (2) Validate the certificate by contacting the Conformity Assessment Body identified in the certificate (3) Contact the ICT Council for fraudulent activities in secretariat@tic-council.org VanBenschoten, Chairman of the ICT Council's Counter-Contracting Committee, recommends that if law enforcement authorities, consumer organisations, governments or citizens have doubts about the validity of the certificate of conformity of equipment, contact the Conformity Assessment Body that validated the equipment. The Director-General of the ICT Council, Hanane Taidi, said that "while we fight the COVID-19 virus, it is vital that health and safety equipment ensureadequate protection for those who use it and meet the required standards. Genuine protective equipment is critical to protect lives and prevent the spread of the virus. We ask people who purchase EPIs to ensure the authenticity and validity of their safety and quality certificates." "In this pandemic context, the last thing consumers want to happen is counterfeits and equipment that is not in line with international standards, so it is of the utmost importance that both buyers and governments and existing authorities in this matter are very attentive to this. Where in doubt, it is valid at the certificate by contacting the Conformity Assessment Body identified in the certificate. It is the health of all of us that may be at stake," says Pedro Matias, President of ISQ.