CBI alerts states about racketeers selling fake hand sanitiser using methanol, online payment scam over PPE

The CBI has alerted the police in all the states and Union territories and other law-enforcement agencies about an Interpol input warning about racketeers selling spurious hand sanitiser amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These hand sanitisers are manufactured using the highly-toxic methanol, CBI said in its alert to law enforcement agencies 

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued an alert based on inputs received from Interpol of instances in other countries of use of methanol for preparing spurious hand sanitizers, the agency said in a statement. 

"Instances have been reported in other countries where due to a huge demand for hand sanitizers during Covid-19 pandemic, use of methanol was detected to produce counterfeit hand sanitizers," it said. 

Methanol can be highly toxic and dangerous for the human body, it added. 

Another alert has been issued regarding the proliferation of online advance payment scams. Such scams involve instances of criminals approaching as vendors of PPE and other protective equipment suppliers related to COVID-19 pandemic and entering business transactions with clients online, the agency said. 

After receipt of payment via bank transfers, the fraudulent vendors do not make any delivery of items, it added.