The COVID-19 pandemic has generated exceptionally high demand worldwide for medical and personal protective disposable gloves. SHIELD Scientific gloves are used in more than 40 countries by medical staff, cleanroom operators and laboratory technicians to protect themselves, their environment, and others from the spread of COVID-19.
This demand has also contributed to the emergence of intricate fraud schemes looking to take advantage of our customers and end-users. These deceitful operations offer counterfeit versions of SHIELD Scientific gloves, with fake product registrations, certificates, and/or test reports that do not fulfil the quality standards of SHIELD Scientific. The level of sophistication in these scams extends to social engineering tactics such as “spoofing”, where the names of SHIELD Scientific employees are used along with brands, logos and/or imitation SHIELD Scientific emails.
We encourage our customers to be vigilant regarding these fraud schemes and pay particular attention to those using the SHIELDskin™, SHIELDskin CHEM™, duoSHIELD™, ecoSHIELD™, SHIELDskin XTREME™ and SMARTLine™ brands. SHIELD Scientific is conscious of fraud schemes using these brand names and work is underway to safeguard our customers.
FREQUENTLY ENCOUNTERED SIGNS OF POTENTIAL FRAUD SCHEMES
• Demands for urgent transfer of funds including last-minute changes to payment instructions
• Assurances of readily available stock for despatch immediately
• Difficulty in clarifying the origin of the products that are reportedly available for sale
• Vendors with little or no commercial history prior to the COVID-19 pandemic
• Prices that are of a dubious nature in so far as they are significantly lower than those offered by reputable sellers
• Promises of large quantities of product
HOW TO GUARANTEE THAT YOU ARE RECEIVING SHIELD Scientific GLOVES
Customers can undertake the following important steps to ensure that the products they intend to purchase are genuine:
• Ask for samples of the products being offered
• Request product information, including details of batch numbers, manufacturing dates and expiry dates
• Resist paying prior to delivery of the goods
The only valid SHIELD Scientific website is shieldscientific.com (https://shieldscientific.com). Measures for avoiding fraudulent SHIELD Scientific websites are as follows:
• Avoid clicking on links in emails from companies, where no prior request has been made
• Be wary of clicking on links that look dubious or use lookalike domains, such as shieldscientfic.com
• Remember our gloves can only be sourced from SHIELD Scientific B.V. or from one of our official distributors listed on our website (https://www.shieldscientific.com/company/distributor-network/).
WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF FINDING FRAUD
When purchasing SHIELD Scientific gloves if you encounter fraudulent or distrustful offers, attempts to impersonate SHIELD Scientific or other illegitimate practices related to SHIELD Scientific brands, please contact SHIELD Scientific Headquarters at +31 (0)317 700 202 or at info@shieldscientific.com.
In an effort to stop the spread of fraud, it is crucial to obtain as much information as possible relating to the identity and contact details of the offenders. Pay particular attention to the offer being made and any documents or other accompanying evidence. Report the fraud to the law enforcement agencies or other government institutions.
EU RESOURCES
Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC)
Visit: https://ec.europa.eu/info/live-work-travel-eu/consumers/enforcement-consumer-protection/scams-related-covid-19_en
OTHER JURISDICTIONS
Please contact the relevant national authorities.
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