Investigators foil multimillion-euro face mask fraud

Details of the scam came as the FBI also warned government and healthcare industry buyers of a rise in Covid-19-related fraud

Thieves have attempted to steal millions of euros from German health authorities as they tried to buy face masks amid the global pandemic.

Europol said that in mid-March healthcare bodies in Germany, facing global shortages, went outside normal channels and contacted two companies in Zurich and Hamburg to try to source masks.