Attorney General Moody Secures Refunds and Penalties from Florida Pharmacy Offering At-Home COVID19 Test Kits

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody recovered thousands of dollars for consumers who purchased purported at-home COVID-19 test kits. Sunshine Community Rx of Sarasota, d/b/a PrecisionMed Pharmacy sent approximately 1,000 text message solicitations to consumers in the Tampa Bay area offering at-home COVID-19 test kits for $85 each. More than 100 consumers purchased the kits, but PrecisionMed neglected to inform consumers that the kits were not approved for at-home use.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “COVID-19 tests are a vital tool in helping Floridians protect their health and reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. We must ensure that consumers who are seeking a test aren’t misled or ripped off by products that are not effective or approved for use at home.

“As they have done time and time again throughout this pandemic, my Consumer Protection Team took swift action to protect Floridians. This is just one example of how their quick action is getting results for consumers and protecting the marketplace as we all work through this crisis together.”

PrecisionMed agreed to make full refunds of more than $9,000 to its customers and pay $5,000 in civil penalties. PrecisionMed also agreed to cease offering the clinical test kits for at-home use. The investigation uncovered additional leads involving the selling of in-home test kits in Florida and PrecisionMed is cooperating with this ongoing portion of the investigation. The test kits were never delivered to PrecisionMed or to the consumers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Florida, Attorney General Moody’s Office has recovered more than half a million dollars for Floridians. The office continues to review price gouging and scam allegations and is working with consumers and businesses to deter outrageous price increases.

Additionally, through partnerships with the U.S. Department of Justice, Attorney General Moody’s Office is identifying COVID-19 related fraud and, where appropriate, referring potential criminal matters to all three Florida U.S. Attorney Offices.

For more information on COVID-19 related fraud and scams, visit the Attorney General’s Consumer Alert webpage by clicking here.