COVID-19 and PPE fraud – a Hong Kong perspective

It will come as little surprise that since the start of 2020 there has been unprecedented demand across the globe for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – in particular for disposable face masks, gloves and surgical gowns. At the outset of the pandemic, these items were needed to supply and protect front-line health workers. Of late there has been wider demand from the public at large as the pandemic spreads. Unfortunately, opportunists see these events as a chance to cash in and profit from people’s anxieties.