‘Can you help me source PPEs from China?” asks a caller on the phone. I have received dozens of these inquiries since March from local governments, medical clinics, and mom-and-pop shops after hospitals and first responders began reporting massive shortages of N95 masks, latex gloves, and surgical gowns.

Suddenly, everybody and their brother thinks they know how to do business in China. They know a friend of a friend in China or a Hong Kong distributor who can buy N95 masks at $3 a pop. “We can make millions,” exclaimed another cold caller as he prodded me for some China factory contacts.

No, you won’t make millions. Just the opposite: You’ll lose your shirt. Doing business in China is not for beginners, nor is it a place to make a quick buck.

Worse yet, people may die as millions of counterfeit PPE products flood the United States. AP News reported on May 13, 2020, that hospitals, humanitarian aid organizations, and first responders received counterfeit N95 masks from China. West Virginia State Firemen’s Association President Jerry Loudin told AP, “While trusting the equipment to protect them, our members may have unknowingly placed themselves in situations that put them at further risk.”

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