<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Gotham members,<div class="">Scammers never seem to go away and now seek to profit off our fears related to the Coronavirus. This NY Times article make clear how easy it is to create and post sham and disreputable selling (or worse) sites with otherwise known (& otherwise trusted) vendors.</div><div class="">Please be careful and stay safe.</div><div class=""><br class=""><div><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/business/coronavirus-ecommerce-sites.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage?utm_source=crain-s-coronavirus-update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200325&utm_content=article14-readmore" class="">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/24/business/coronavirus-ecommerce-sites.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage?utm_source=crain-s-coronavirus-update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200325&utm_content=article14-readmore</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><h1 class="title" data-reader-unique-id="titleElement" style="font-size: 1.95552em; line-height: 1.2141em; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font;">Coronavirus Spurs a Wave of Suspect Websites Looking to Cash In</h1><h2 class="subhead" data-reader-unique-id="subheadElement" style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 1.46664em; color: rgba(27, 27, 27, 0.65098); margin-top: -0.35em; line-height: 1.27275em; max-width: 100%; font-family: -apple-system-font;">Hundreds of e-commerce sites are popping up daily to sell virus-fighting products. Many are being shut down for making exaggerated claims or selling phantom products.</h2><div class="singleline metadata" style="margin-top: -0.7em; margin-bottom: 1.45em; max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;"><div style="margin: 0px; font-weight: bold; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; display: inline !important;" class="">By <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/michael-h-keller" data-reader-unique-id="91" style="text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; color: var(--body-font-color); max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; font-weight: normal !important; display: inline !important;" class=""><span itemprop="name" data-reader-unique-id="92" style="margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; display: inline !important;" class="">Michael H. Keller</span></a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/taylor-lorenz" data-reader-unique-id="93" style="text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; color: var(--body-font-color); max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; font-weight: normal !important; display: inline !important;" class=""><span itemprop="name" data-reader-unique-id="94" style="margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; display: inline !important;" class="">Taylor Lorenz</span></a></div><span class="delimiter" style="margin: 0.07em 0.45em 0px; padding: 0px; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; display: inline !important;"></span><time datetime="2020-03-24T10:09:01-04:00" data-reader-unique-id="95" class="date" style="margin: 0px; font-weight: bold; max-width: 100%; font-size: 1em !important; display: inline !important;">March 24, 2020</time></div><div data-reader-unique-id="2" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="3" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="4" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">A popular technology company that has helped launch thousands of online retail sites has become a favorite tool for fly-by-night businesses looking to cash in on the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="5" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">New e-commerce sites that use the company\u2019s services are filled with wildly exaggerated claims about virus-fighting products that may not even exist.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="6" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">The New York Times analyzed registrations with the company, Shopify, which allows just about anyone with an email address and a credit card to create retail websites in short order. The company, which in the past helped build such successful e-commerce sites as Kylie Cosmetics, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/19/style/kylie-jenner-coty-cosmetics.html" title="" data-reader-unique-id="7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">$1.2 billion dollar</a> beauty brand founded by Kylie Jenner, has registered nearly 500 new sites over the past two months with names that include \u201ccorona\u201d or \u201ccovid,\u201d The Times found. Untold others have been started using other names.</p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="11" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="12" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="13" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">One of the new sites marketed an \u201coxygen concentration\u201d machine for $3,080. Another had the \u201cCorona Necklace Air Purifier,\u201d which for $59 claimed to provide \u201cAll Day Protection.\u201d A third offered a $299 pill that promised \u201cAnti-Viral Protection\u201d for 30 days. And sites such as <a href="http://coronavirusgethelp.com/" class="">CoronavirusGetHelp.com</a> and <a href="http://test-for-covid19.com/" class="">test-for-covid19.com</a> marketed home test kits for $29.99 to $79, none of which have been approved by <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-alerts-consumers-about-unauthorized-fraudulent-covid-19-test-kits" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">the Food and Drug Administration.</a></p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="15" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="16" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="17" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Many of the sellers do not actually possess the goods, nor have they verified that the products are legitimate. Often, the sites\u2019 operators are middlemen who fulfill customers\u2019 orders by buying items on other websites \u2014 a kind of digital arbitrage known as \u201cdropshipping.\u201d Shopify is attractive to these new businesses because its software can integrate the sites with the distant vendors, mostly in China.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="18" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Amy Hufft, a Shopify spokeswoman, said the company last week closed more than 4,500 sites related to the virus. She said sites that did not back up the medical claims they made were suspended from the platform. By Monday, nearly all the sites identified by The Times had been removed.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="19" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">\u201cOur teams continue to actively review Covid-19 related products and businesses, and stores that violate our policies will be immediately taken down,\u201d she said in an email.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="20" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Gibril Bachouchi, a 20-year-old Canadian engineering student in Algiers, told The Times in a video call how he started his Shopify site, <a href="http://killcoronavirus19.com/" class="">killcoronavirus19.com</a>.</p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="21" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="22" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="23" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Mr. Bachouchi said he created the store to raise money for a hospital where his aunt works as a doctor, after hearing it was short on face masks and other equipment. His site advertised the $3,080 oxygen machine last week, and a Covid-19 testing kit for $30.40, among other products.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="45" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">\u201cI was just like, \u2018I\u2019m a 20-year-old kid \u2014 what can I do to help a bit?\u2019\u201d Mr. Bachouchi said.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="46" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">He watched videos on how to start a Shopify business, he said, and used the Shopify platform to log in to AliExpress, a Chinese retail site similar to eBay. He selected the oxygen concentrator and the testing kit from the Chinese site because they were among the \u201chottest-selling items,\u201d he said. \u201cYou click a product you like on AliExpress and then it\u2019s just on your website.\u201d</p><p data-reader-unique-id="47" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Mr. Bachouchi said he used Shopify\u2019s algorithm to set competitive prices and choose a markup; he said he chose 10 percent, though other resellers were typically charging 25 to 33 percent. As of last week, he had made no sales.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="48" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">\u201cShopify pushes you to spend as much as you can on marketing,\u201d Mr. Bachouchi said. \u201cI just don\u2019t have the money.\u201d</p><p data-reader-unique-id="49" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">A spokesman for Alibaba, the owner of AliExpress, said that medical testing kits were previously allowed under their policy \u201cbut given the current environment, we have made the decision to prohibit suppliers from listing Covid-19 testing kits.\u201d</p><p data-reader-unique-id="50" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Mike Schmidt, founder of the digital marketing platform Dovetale, said the Shopify sites were emblematic of both the ease and the risks of setting up an e-commerce business. \u201cIt becomes much more accessible to sell things around Covid,\u201d he said, cautioning that \u201cthere\u2019s no verification label on these stores. There\u2019s no one saying this is a trusted supplier.\u201d</p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="52" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="53" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="54" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Though Shopify has been policing the new sites, it also encourages its customers to go into the dropshipping business. It offers <a href="https://www.shopify.com/dropshipping" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="55" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">a guide for starting such a business</a> and makes money from them by charging a monthly fee and a percentage of sales. The Canadian company is one of the largest turnkey e-commerce sites in the world, bringing in <a href="https://news.shopify.com/shopify-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2019-financial-results#" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="56" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">$1.5 billion</a>last year. In February, Shopify <a href="https://news.shopify.com/shopify-announces-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2019-financial-results#" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="57" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">announced</a> that it had hosted over a million businesses.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="58" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">New sites selling coronavirus products come online every day. A majority of the sites tracked by The Times appeared over the past two weeks, including over 70 registered since Wednesday, according to data from DomainTools, a cyberforensics company. The sites target users around the world and are in English, French, Spanish, German, Romanian, Icelandic and other languages.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="59" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">The registrations are part of a larger increase in Coronavirus-related activity, said Chad Anderson, senior security researcher at DomainTools. In February, he said, he saw about 100 new websites a day related to the pandemic. Now, the figure is 2,000. Their systems have flagged about half of those as likely related to malware, <a href="https://www.domaintools.com/resources/blog/covidlock-update-coronavirus-ransomware" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="60" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">ransomware</a> or phishing.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="61" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">\u201cIt\u2019s a massive uptick,\u201d Mr. Anderson said.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="62" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">The operator of another Shopify dropshipping site, <a href="http://covid-defender.com/" class="">covid-defender.com</a>, who would identify himself to The Times only as Radwan, said he lived in Denmark and had run Facebook ads for his site. The site sells face masks for $30 to $40, including one marketed for children described as \u201cKid Mask Protection Against Virus and Bacteria With N95 Standards.\u201d</p><p data-reader-unique-id="63" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">He said he believed the supplier\u2019s statements that the masks were certified to the standards claimed. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t say by any means that it provides 100 percent protection,\u201d he said.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="64" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">He said he had not heard of shortages of the masks he sold. \u201cIf I had heard of any shortage anywhere on the planet I would not sell it,\u201d he said. Even so, he said, it was up to his customers to vet the products before buying.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="65" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">\u201cThey shouldn\u2019t trust these stores, and they have to find the proper information themselves,\u201d he said.</p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="66" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="67" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="68" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Radwan\u2019s and Mr. Bachouchi\u2019s sites were among those that were no longer available as of Friday. </p><p data-reader-unique-id="69" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Like Radwan, many other Shopify sites were advertising on Facebook last week, as well as on Instagram, despite <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus/" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="70" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">bans on such ads</a>. The social platforms are lifelines for the shops, representing the primary way of generating sales. Similar ads have also appeared on Google, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/04/google-showing-ads-for-anti-coronavirus-products.html" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="71" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">as CNBC reported.</a></p><p data-reader-unique-id="72" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">The Facebook page \u201cCoronavirus Test Kit\u201d ran ads last week saying \u201cCheck whenever necessary at the comfort of your home! \U0001f3e0 Protect yourself and your family \U0001f46a.\u201d It pointed to its website, which sold one blood test for $19.99 or 500 for $1,329.99. The site said, next to a photo of a blurry document, that the tests met certain European safety standards.</p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="74" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="75" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="76" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">The Times found nine other Shopify sites that had run advertisements seeming to violate <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2020/03/coronavirus/#banning-ads" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="77" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">Facebook\u2019s recently announced bans</a> on price gouging and ads that create \u201ca sense of urgency.\u201d After The Times sent information to Facebook about the site selling Covid-19 testing kits, the company announced it was banning all such ads. In a statement, Rob Leathern, Facebook\u2019s director of product management, said the ads The Times identified had been removed for policy violations and the company was \u201cramping up\u201d its automated enforcement system.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="78" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">But sellers are finding other ways to advertise.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="79" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">One site, <a href="http://luxurywildspot.com/" class="">LuxuryWildSpot.com</a>, which sells anti-coronavirus face masks, pays influencers to promote its pages on Instagram.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="80" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">This can be cheaper than traditional ad buys \u2014 allowing posts to reach millions for as little as $30 \u2014 and also harder for the platform to police since they often appear as regular posts. And while Federal Trade Commission <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2017/04/ftc-staff-reminds-influencers-brands-clearly-disclose" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="81" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">guidelines</a> require accounts to identify sponsored content, these rules are often ignored.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="82" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Last week, posts showing videos of people convulsing, being wheeled into ambulances or being decontaminated appeared on at least four Instagram accounts as a part of a paid influencer campaign, according to screenshots of private messages showing payments to the influencers, some with over a million followers.</p></div></div><div data-reader-unique-id="83" style="max-width: 100%; caret-color: rgb(27, 27, 27); color: rgb(27, 27, 27); font-family: -apple-system-font; font-size: 15px;" class=""><div data-reader-unique-id="84" style="max-width: 100%;" class=""><p data-reader-unique-id="85" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">The posts promoted air purifiers and face masks on <a href="http://luxurywildspot.com/" class="">LuxuryWildSpot.com</a>, and masks on <a href="http://n95security.com/" class="">n95security.com</a> and <a href="http://smartmasks.uk/" class="">SmartMasks.uk</a> \u2014 where they were described at the top of the site as a \u201cSmart Antiviral N95 Pollution Mask\u201d and elsewhere in smaller type as an \u201cAnti Dust Cycling Face Mask.\u201d</p><p data-reader-unique-id="86" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">One of the accounts removed the post after The Times asked about it; others that were still online were removed for policy violations on Monday after The Times flagged them to the company. On Tuesday, Instagram <a href="https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/coronavirus-keeping-people-safe-informed-and-supported-on-instagram/" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" data-reader-unique-id="87" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(65, 110, 210); max-width: 100%;" class="">announced</a> it was banning ads and branded content promoting \u201ccertain medical supplies, including face masks.\u201d None of the sites responded to requests for comment.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="88" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">Rafael Cintron, a dropshipper and marketing consultant who teaches the business on YouTube, said he wasn\u2019t surprised that people were trying to profit from the crisis. But he advised staying away from selling these products.</p><p data-reader-unique-id="89" style="max-width: 100%;" class="">\u201cIt\u2019s not just supply and demand and connecting people,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is really affecting the process of taking care of this pandemic and making sure that everybody goes back to their regular lives. That\u2019s the real issue.\u201d</p></div></div><div class="">
<div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div align="CENTER" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;" class=""><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: start;" class=""><div align="CENTER" style="font-family: Helvetica;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class=""><b class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1c39f6">Corey B. Bearak, Esq.</font><br class=""></b></font></font><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#ac7824">Government & Public Affairs Counsel</font></font></font></div><div align="CENTER" style="font-family: Helvetica;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class=""><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#0e23a3"><i class="">Networker of the Year-2012</i></font>| co-chair, <font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3a7620"><i class="">GO</i></font>tham <font class="Apple-style-span" color="#3a7620"><i class="">GREEN® |</i></font> <font class="Apple-style-span" color="#004aa4">Gotham Towers |</font> <font class="Apple-style-span" color="#dd1811">LI Legal</font></font></font><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> |</font><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""><font color="#7a4442" class=""> Gotham</font></span><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""><font color="#7a4442" class=""> Power Breakfast</font></span> <span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">Chair</span><i class=""> </i>| </font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#007aaa" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Gotham Sponsorships</font><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;"> </font><font class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: large;">Chair</font><span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><font size="4" class="">| </font></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><font size="4" class=""> <i class="">Gotham Sundays Blogger</i></font></span><span style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><font size="4" class="">| </font></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><font size="4" class="">Moderator, <i class="">Fredslist </i>& <i class="">Gotham Promos</i></font></span></div><div align="CENTER" style="font-family: Helvetica;" class=""><font color="#1013e0" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class="">P.O. Box 135, Glen Oaks, NY 11004<br class=""></font></font><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class="">(718) 343-6779</font></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" class=""><font size="3" class=""> </font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif" class=""><font size="3" class="">\u2666</font></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" class=""><font size="3" class=""> </font></font></font><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class=""><font color="#1013e0" class="">facsimile</font> </font></font><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class=""><b class=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#4433ff">(888) 379-3492</font></span><br class=""></b></font></font><a href="mailto:Corey@CoreyBearak.com" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><font color="#0000ff" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" class="">Corey@CoreyBearak.com</font></font></font></a><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" class=""><font size="3" class=""> </font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif" class=""><font size="3" class="">\u2666</font></font><font face="Times New Roman, Times, serif" class=""><font size="3" class=""> </font></font><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" color="#1013e0" class=""><a href="http://strategicpublicpolicy.com/" class="">StrategicPublicPolicy.com</a></font></font><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;" class=""> </span><font style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="3" color="#1c39f6" class=""><b class="">\u2666</b></font></font></font><font style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="3" class=""><b class=""> </b></font></font></font><font style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman" class=""><font size="4" color="#0433ff" class=""><a href="http://twitter.com/Bearak" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">Bearak on Twitter</a></font></font></font></div><div align="CENTER" class=""><font size="4" style="font-family: Helvetica;" class=""><font color="#797700" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">Author</font><font style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">, </font></font><a href="https://intelligentarts.net/the-public-ought-to-know/" class=""><font color="#0433ff" size="4" class=""><i class="">The Public Ought To Know</i></font></a><font size="4" style="font-family: Helvetica;" class=""><font style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: -webkit-auto;" class="">,</font></font><font size="4" class=""><font style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""> available on </font></font><a href="https://amzn.to/36ByeQJ" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><i class=""><font color="#ff9300" class="">Kindle</font></i></a><font size="4" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><font style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""> and </font></font><a href="http://bit.ly/2O7HRjB" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""><font color="#009540" class=""><i class="">Nook</i></font></a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; font-size: large;" class=""> and</span><font size="4" style="text-align: -webkit-auto; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><i style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" class=""><font color="#00fdff" class=""> </font></i></font><a href="https://apple.co/2tPxday" class=""><i class=""><font color="#00fdff" class="">Apple</font></i></a><font size="4" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none;" class=""><font color="#000000" style="font-style: italic;" class=""> </font><font color="#00020c" class="">devices</font></font></div><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;" class="">If you receive this email and did not request it, please reply and I will kindly remove your email address from the list.</p><p align="JUSTIFY" style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0in;" class=""><font color="#2824a0" class=""><font face="Arial" class=""><font size="2" class=""><i class=""><font color="#000000" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" class="">This Internet Email Transmission may contain Confidential or Privileged Information which is intended only for use by the individual or entity for which the transmission is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, dissemination, copying or distribution of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify this office by telephone immediately so that we can arrange for the return of the documents to us at no cost to you.</font></font><font face="Times New Roman, serif" class=""></font></i></font></font></font></p><p align="LEFT" style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0in;" class=""><font color="#2824a0" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" class=""><font size="2" class=""><i class="">[sent from my MacBook Pro]</i></font></font></font></p></div></div></div></div></span></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>