Birmingham fraudsters who sold unauthorized Covid tests jailed

Birmingham fraudster duo who sold unauthorized Covid-19 tests at the height of the pandemic and ‘capitalised on tragedy’ with the hopes of making millions on Dark Web are jailed

• Shameless Ron Huss-Smickler, 41, and Steven Beckford, 39, have been jailed
• Fraudsters purchased thousands of non-certified tests from a Chinese website

Two Birmingham fraudsters who sold unauthorized Covid-19 tests at the height of the pandemic and ‘capitalised on tragedy’ with the hopes of making millions on the Dark Web have been jailed.

Ron Huss-Smickler, 41, and Steven Beckford, 39, purchased thousands of non-certified Covid tests from Chinese shopping website ‘Alibaba’ and started selling them in March 2020 when the availability of kits was scarce.

The criminals sold the kits online for £39.95 through their business ‘Be Corona Safe’ in the hopes of making large profits. They sold their ’15 Minute Rapid Home Self-Testing Kits’ in the UK, Europe and the USA, and even to a GP – misleading customers into believing that the kits had regulatory approval.

Conversations showed that as early as January 2020, the two men discussed how they could profit from the emerging health crisis, with one telling the other that facemasks seemed a good opportunity, ‘albeit capitalising on tragedy’. 

The fraudsters were both sentenced today at Birmingham Crown Court today. Huss-Smickler was jailed for 18 months and is disqualified from being a director of a company for 10 years.

Ron Huss-Smickler (left), 41, and Steven Beckford (right), 39, who sold unauthorized Covid-19 tests at the height of the pandemic and ‘capitalised on tragedy’ with the hopes of making millions on the Dark Web have been jailed

The fraudsters purchased thousands of non-certified Covid tests (pictured) from Chinese shopping website ‘Alibaba’ and started selling them in March 2020 when availability was scarce

Meanwhile Steven Beckford received a four month sentence suspended for two years and must complete 100 hours of unpaid community work. He also cannot direct a company for five years.

The tests were split down into individual kits to be passed off as approved for home use. Both Huss-Smickler and Beckford were arrested in June 2020, after the NCA and a US Homeland Security officer were able to purchase their illicit products on a Dark Web marketplace.

Messages between the men revealed they had knowledge of medical legislation, to the extent that they understood they were acting illegally and took steps to cover their activity. 

Although willing to sell to consumers throughout, at one point they discussed marketing their products only to businesses to bypass scrutiny, with Beckford stating: ‘We have to get in and get out and make as much money as possible.’

The defendants modified test kits and created their own instruction manual, which included information from a completely different manufacturer and Chinese data that they didn’t understand. They also created their own step by step guide and video on how to take the tests.

Discussions revealed they were expecting to earn up to £150,000 a month and wanted to increase their pricing to £50 a kit at one point. Huss-Smickler had also read news articles online around fake PPE and had searched ‘profiteering from coronavirus’.

At one stage the men applied for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) from the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency, using fake documents. 

Despite being turned down by the MHRA they continued to operate, with records indicating that they changed their company name to avoid detection and prevent further blockages from payment platforms.

The fraudsters were both sentenced today at Birmingham Crown Court (pictured) today

When a GP purchased a number of tests, the men believed they could sell more widely to the NHS, prompting brazen Beckford to state: ‘Good news Team! We have just closed a deal with an NHS GP Practice for testing kits! So now we can officially say ‘We provide Medical Supplies to the NHS.’

They continued to scout for further business and even left business cards in locations across the London underground. NCA investigators were able to trace the test kits back to addresses in London and Crewe, and eventually matched the men’s fingerprints with those found on the inside of the test packets.

Evidence indicated that the pair had sold 654 kits and taken orders for over 700 before being arrested. Both men pleaded guilty on March 6 2023 at Birmingham Crown Court where they were also sentenced today.

Sarah Melo, specialist prosecutor from the CPS said: ‘The defendants quickly spotted an opportunity in the early stages of the pandemic, which was in reality an attempt to capitalise on the fears of the general public amid a global crisis. 

‘They carried on their business aware that what they were doing was wrong, and their stated intention was to make huge profits.

‘There was no evidence that the test kits worked when used in the way they were advertised, but this did not deter them selling them without any regard to the welfare of their customers. We work closely with investigators such as the MHRA and the NCA and will not hesitate to prosecute where there is evidence of fraud.’

Evidence indicated that the pair had sold 654 kits and taken orders for over 700 before being arrested. They started selling them at the height of the pandemic. Pictured: People wear masks to protect themselves

Ty Surgeon, NCA Branch Commander Midlands, Wales and West region, said: ‘These men were organised criminals who preyed upon people’s fears, at the very early stages of the coronavirus pandemic when there was uncertainty and resources were scarce.

‘They knew that their venture was exploitative and illegal, but still sought every possible opportunity to profit from the unrest and panic that was sweeping the UK at the time. 

‘This is by no means the only incident of fraud and opportunistic criminal activity seen during the coronavirus pandemic. Together with partners, both here and abroad, we will continue to investigate and hold those responsible to account.’

The MHRA recommends if you have any problems or concerns while using a COVID-19 testing kit or suspect the testing kit to be fake or tampered with, report it to the MHRA immediately via the Coronavirus Yellow Card website.

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