In neighboring Sonora, Mexico, authorities are urging COVID-19 patients and their families not to fall for fake oxygen tank sales and rentals online.
Sonora’s Cyber Crime Unit put out a warning this week about fraudulent businesses that have been popping up online offering cheap, quick access to oxygen tanks desperately needed by some people sick with the coronavirus.
"The public has received offers of oxygen tanks for below market prices, and with supposed immediate availability, where they vendor offers for a minimal amount of the real cost to deliver the tank in just a couple of hours to the person’s home, after receiving payment via bank transfer," Diego Salcido, director of the Cyber Crime Unit, said during a press conference.
He said most of the scams show up on social media, or through text messages, and are taking advantage of the growing need for oxygen tanks as the number of people sick with COVID-19 grows across Mexico.
Salcido urged Sonoran residents to verify any businesses they find online, and to be suspicious of anyone asking for payment in advance. Authorities also published city-specific lists of vetted businesses that sell or rent oxygen tanks.
The warning comes just a week after seven oxygen tanks were stolen from a hospital in southern Sonora. They were later found after authorities received an anonymous tip related to their whereabouts.
