As omicron cases continue to surge throughout the Bay Area, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is reminding people to avoid purchasing fake COVID-19 tests and to be aware of illegitimate testing sites.

If you’ve been looking for a COVID-19 test, you probably know by now that they’re in short supply.

The FTC said that scammers have created fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits and are “still at it with fake COVID-19 testing sites.”

“These fake sites can be hard to spot,” said Ari Lazarus, Consumer Education Specialists for the FTC.

“They look real, with legitimate-looking signs, tents, hazmat suits, and realistic-looking tests,” added Lazarus.

“And the damage these fake testing sites can cause is very real.”

Fake testing sties throughout Bay Area

In San Francisco, the City Attorney’s Office launched an investigation into testing company Community Wellness America and Crestview Clinical Laboratory.

On Thursday, City Attorney David Chiu announced he has issued two subpoenas as part of an investigation into the “rogue COVID testing operators in San Francisco.”

According to the city attorney’s office, the investigation was launched after reports of potentially unauthorized entities performing COVID tests in the city.

“Protecting the integrity of our COVID testing operations is crucial as we grapple with a surge in COVID cases,” said City Attorney Chiu.

“We cannot allow rogue actors to exploit this Omicron surge for profit. We will get to the bottom of this and ensure any bad actors are held accountable.”

Further south in San Jose, the city has also issued a warning to residents to avoid fake COVID-19 tests.

Over the weekend, Santa Clara County began offering a limited number of free at-home COVID-19 antigen tests to those who live, work, or attend school in the county.

Four distribution locations are now open on an appointment basis.

  • Hellyer County Park, 985 Hellyer Ave., San José
  • Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave., San José
  • Vasona County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Road, Los Gatos
  • Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills (offers evening hours)

Click here to sign up.

How to avoid getting scammed?

  • First contact your healthcare provider if there is any availability to get tested.
  • Explore your County/City affiliated testing sites.
  • Only buy or use tests authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA’s website has a list of more than 40 authorized home tests, some of which have age restrictions. You can buy these tests online, at pharmacies and some retail stores.
  • Check the FDA’s list of fraudulent COVID-19 products to ensure the test kit you’re about to buy or use, or the company you’re going to buy it from, isn’t on there.
  • Look at a variety of sellers and compare credible reviews from expert sources like medical professionals or health organizations before making a purchase decision.
  • If you choose to buy a testing kit online, use your credit card so you can dispute the charge if you discover it’s a scam.
  • In addition, you should check if the kit you’re about to buy or use hasn’t expired.