Virus Leaves Brands to Protect Themselves as Opportunists Pounce

Thomas Moga fights counterfeiting for a living as an intellectual property attorney, but he also understands first-hand how emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic can make even the savviest consumers vulnerable.

Moga contracted tropical typhus in 1990 while living in southeastern China and teaching at Xiamen University. When another visiting instructor—a nurse—brought unmarked medication to his apartment, he was so miserable with a 104-degree fever that he ignored his cautionary instincts about counterfeits.

“Desperate times make you do things you wouldn’t usually do,” said Moga, who has run counterfeit pharmaceutical investigations in Asia. “I didn’t employ my usual discretion. I didn’t ...