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By Tina Bellon
NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - As millions of people await
their turn to get a COVID-19 vaccine that could be months away,
scammers online, in emails and on messaging apps are luring
victims with claims they can deliver shots within days for as
little as $150.
COVID-19 vaccine scams are on the rise, according to
European and U.S. government officials who are warning the
public of fraudsters out for money and personal data.
A Reuters search online, in dark web forums and on messaging
app Telegram found seven different offers for alleged COVID-19
vaccines.
Scams include emails promising entry to supposedly secret
lists for early vaccine access and robocallers impersonating
government agencies. Message boards on the so-called dark web
have added COVID-19 vaccines to more traditional illicit goods
for sale.
The U.S. FBI and Interpol, among others, have warned of
emerging pandemic-related fraud schemes, saying false cures and
vaccines advertised on fake websites could pose cyber threats
and a significant risk to peoples' health, or even lives.
Website domains containing the word vaccine in combination
with COVID-19 or coronavirus more than doubled since October to
roughly 2,500 in November, when the first legitimate vaccines
were nearing regulatory approval, according to cybersecurity
firm Recorded Future, which is tracking COVID-19 fraud online.
"So far a lot of these domains just appear to be
opportunistic registrations, but some are going to be used for
phishing attempts to have people click on (malicious) links,"
said Lindsay Kaye, director of operational outcomes at Recorded
Future.
Kaye said her team, which also scours the dark web, so far
has not come across any legitimate vaccine diverted from
healthcare facilities or national stockpiles.
The scams are preying on concerns about the far
slower-than-promised rollout of vaccines to protect against the
virus that has claimed more than 1.8 million lives worldwide so
far. Most people will likely have to wait well into the spring,
or even summer, to get their shot.
In the United States, only about 4.5 million people had
received their first shot as of Monday, the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reported. That is a fraction of
the 20 million who were supposed to have been vaccinated by the
end of 2020, according to earlier government forecasts.
VACCINES, GUNS AND MONEY
On dark web forum Agartha, fake COVID-19 vaccines were
offered next to cocaine, opioid medication, "super high quality
fake money," hand guns and gift cards. Posts showed stock photos
of vaccines and offered vials for $500 and $1,000, or the
equivalent in Bitcoin.
On another dark web site, a seller claiming to be from the
"Wuhan Institute of Science" offered COVID-19 vaccines in
exchange for a donation, and asked buyers to provide their
medical history.
On Telegram, several channels claimed to offer COVID-19
vaccines, accompanied by stock images. One user offered supposed
Moderna Inc vaccines for $180, and claimed the vaccine
from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE could be had
for $150 and AstraZeneca's for $110 per vial.
Asked how the vaccines would be shipped, the account creator
said they were transported in "regulated temperature packs" and
ice packs within a few days, or overnight for an additional
charge.
Actual COVID-19 vaccines, particularly the Pfizer/BioNTech
offering, must be temperature controlled to remain effective,
with drugmakers equipping shipments with temperature trackers to
ensure the cold chain. Vaccine shipments and distribution are
also tightly controlled by officials and will be administered
at no cost.
The United States has so far authorized two COVID-19
vaccines for emergency use - the ones from Pfizer/BioNTech and
Moderna. The European Union to date has authorized the
Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and is expected to clear the Moderna
vaccine this week.
The UK has already authorized those two and just added the
vaccine developed by Oxford University with AstraZeneca.
Asked about vaccine scams, Pfizer said it had taken
meticulous steps to reduce the risk of counterfeiting and
tracked trends very carefully.
"Patients should never try to secure a vaccine online - no
legitimate vaccine is sold online - and only get vaccinated at
certified vaccination centers or by certified healthcare
providers," a Pfizer spokesman said in a statement.
Moderna referred a request for comment to the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which did not
respond. AstraZeneca did not respond to a request for comment.
The HHS, FBI and U.S. Department of Justice have urged the
public to report any COVID-19 vaccine scams, including people
asking for out-of-pocket payments for the vaccine and online
vaccine advertisements.
(Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York
Editing by Bill Berkrot)
