Story originally ran on June 30, 2020 edition of Falmouth Outlook but as face mask mandates are popping up, the scam that ADA and Department of Justice protects you from wearing a face mask is making its way back via Facebook and other social media venues. It is simply not an accurate statement and does NOT originate from either the ADA or DOJ.
As in most cases of natural disasters, pandemics or issues that cause fear, the lowlifes who prey on many in fraudulant scams are taking advantage of the need to wear face masks.
The scam does not ask for any funds but does not carry any weight of law either. There is an appearance to try and deceive individuals by referring to the DOJ and the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as listing the working number to report an ADA violation. They had also used the DOJ seal on the card to apparently provide further credibility.
“Do not be fooled by the chicanery and misappropriation of the DOJ eagle,” Matthew G.T. Martin, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, said in a news release. “These cards do not carry the force of law. The ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency,’ or ‘FTBA,’ is not a government agency.”
The graphic and card is being distributed by a group called Freedom to Breathe Agency. It is not a federal or state agency. It’s a Facebook group.
It’s founder, Lenka Koloma told CNN it wasn’t making any recommendations to anyone and the group’s mission is “freedom and personal liberty.” But she went on to say that people should only wear masks, “whenever they wish to be silenced and muzzled.”
The debate on wearing face masks have has increased as plans to return to in-person schooling in the fall will call for students to be required to wear a face mask.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called for people to wear a mask since April.
On their website, the CDC says “the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus” and is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. Spread is mostly through close contact with on another within about six feet and respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
It is the latter that encourages the wearing of masks in public places.
The website does warn, “Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.”
There are multiple versions of the main card.
“I am exempt from any ordinance requiring face mask usage in public,” one of the cards says. “Wearing a face mask poses a mental and/or physical risk to me.”
The group disappeared from Facebook on Thursday, June 25 and Koloma provided CNN with a screenshot with a notification saying Facebook removed the group for “fraud and deception.”