People are picking up NHS Covid tests for free and reselling them on eBay in 'illegal and reprehensible' trade, investigation finds
- The Government says it is illegal to sell lateral flow testing kits for personal gain
- Online firm eBay has since removed dozens of adverts for kits from its website
- DHSC urges people to avoid buying test online as you cannot be sure it's genuineNHS Covid tests are being sold illegally online as people are permitted to pick up batches from testing centres for free, it has been revealed.
An investigation by BBC Radio 5 Live found that dozens of adverts for lateral flow tests were posted on sites including eBay and social media.
In one post, the seller purported to be an 'NHS approved supplier' and was selling the individual tests for £10 plus postage each.
The Government condemned the sale of Covid Lateral Flow Tests online after an investigation found dozens of adverts for the testing kits on sites including eBay and social media websites
An example of one advert for a single lateral flow testing kit which was posted on eBay
Reporter Nick Garnett told listeners it came about after he went to collect some tests for his teenage daughter who is back at school.He said: 'I was handed 21 tests. They didn’t ask for my name or proof that I had schoolchildren.
'They just handed over these boxes and I thought if they’re handing out that many to me, how many others are they handing out and what are people doing with them?'Since schools reopened, the Government has said those eligible to do so can collect batches of test kits from testing centres to allow them to ensure they are still safe to attend.
Eligible groups include secondary school pupils and college students, teaching staff and households in support bubbles.
Mr Garnett headed online where he found dozens of adverts for Covid lateral flow tests for sale both individually and in bulk.
In addition to the post claiming to be an 'approved seller', other posts seemed to show boxes of multiple lateral flow tests had been sold for as much as £400.
AN image showing completed sales of testing kits sold on eBay earlier this year
Mr Garnett said the tests averaged out at about £10 and that he was lead to believe this was much less than what the NHS pay for them.
Most of the adverts have since been removed after companies were made aware of them.
The Government has said people should avoid buying testing kits off the internet because there is no way to tell if they are genuine.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The sale of these devices for personal gain is both illegal and reprehensible.
'We are working closely sites such as eBay to ensure any listings are quickly identified and removed.
'People should not buy or use these tests as there is no guarantee they are genuine.'
Lateral flow device testing is a way to test people who do not have symptoms of COVID-19, but who may still be spreading the virus.
The Government says the tests are easy to use and give results in 30 minutes. Those who test positive are told they must immediately self-isolate to avoid passing the virus on to others.
The Government added that measures are in place to track the movement of tests but that they are continuing to improve these.
eBay also said it condemns the sale of the tests and took immediate action to remove dozens of postings, taking action against those who had advertised the sale of the tests.
A spokesman for the company said: 'We condemn anyone attempting to re-sell COVID tests provided by the NHS. We have removed multiple listings and taken action on sellers’ accounts.
'We have filters in place to block these tests from making it onto the platform, and our policy team also regularly monitors for these items.
'Any person who attempts to list these tests will find their listing blocked or removed from the marketplace, and action taken on their account.'
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