Interpol Fires Warning On Purchase Of COVID-19 Vaccines Online
In a statement, the police body called out criminal groups which have been producing, distributing, and selling fake vaccines on online websites as well as treatments for the virus.
Marvin Chege 
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the United States's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have warned members of the public against purchasing alleged COVID-19 vaccines online.
In a statement, the police body called out criminal groups which have been producing, distributing, and selling fake vaccines on online websites as well as treatments for the virus.
The purchase of fake vaccines carries its risks; they do not offer protection against COVID-19 and pose a serious health hazard if ingested or injected. Such products are not tested, regulated or safety-checked.
"Legitimate vaccines are not for sale. They are strictly administered and distributed by national healthcare regulators. Anyone buying these products online also runs the risk of potentially giving their money to organized criminals," Interpol's Secretary General Jurgen Stock stated.
A global alert was issued by INTERPOL in late 2020 and the police body moved in to make the first internationally linked arrests and seizures in connection with fake vaccines after criminal networks were disrupted in China and South Africa. The body has also been receiving additional information on fake vaccine distribution and scam attempts targeting health bodies, including nursing homes.
“Counterfeit vaccines threaten the health of consumers who are duped by nefarious actors seeking to exploit the pandemic situation for financial gain. HSI and its law enforcement partners will vigorously investigate and seek prosecution for criminals taking advantage of the public’s quest for COVID-19 vaccinations and those who endanger the lives of the very people the vaccines are intended to protect.
“HSI will continue to work with INTERPOL to coordinate investigations targeting every level of the transnational criminal organizations trafficking in counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines,” added HSI Assistant Director, and Director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, Steve Francis.
An emerging trend has seen cybercriminals create illegal websites claiming to be legitimate national and/or world organizations offering pre-orders for vaccines against the COVID-19 virus. These websites offer payments in Bitcoins and other payment processing methods.
They use trademark logos of major pharmaceutical companies to produce approved COVID-19 vaccines and have been suspected of being used to conduct phishing attacks and/or dupe victims into giving charitable donations.
In addition to exposing their computers to cyberattacks when attempting to purchase alleged COVID-19 vaccines online, people also run the risk of having their identity stolen.
In December 2020, HSI seized two websites purporting to be those of biotechnology companies developing treatments for the COVID-19 virus. Instead, they appeared to have been used to collect the personal information of individuals visiting the sites, in order to use the information for criminal purposes, including fraud, phishing attacks, and/or deployment of malware.
Ransomware attacks have also been conducted against hospitals, laboratories, local governments, and other targets, remotely blocking computer systems and demanding payment to release them.
