April 28, 2021 – Organized criminals are hawking fake COVID-19 vaccines, forged negative COVID-19 tests and fake vaccine certificates on the darknet and hacking forums, a Canadian cyber security expert says.
“There’s a lot of money to be made,” Rob Falzon, head of engineering for Check Point Research in Canada, said in a telephone interview from Oshawa.
“They know the incredible desire for this vaccine,” Falzon said, noting that the government-run Canadian anti-fraud centre has a website warning of various COVID-19 scams.
Falcon noted reports this week of counterfeit Pfizer vaccine being discovered in Mexico and Poland. Check Point Research, which is based in Tel Aviv, has reported that the number of ads promising COVID-19 vaccines for sale, from $500, has tripled since the pandemic began.
Falzon urged people to get vaccinated from trusted, credible sources and avoid potentially dangerous products on the darknet, the portions of the internet that can’t be accessed using a regular web browser. Check Point reports that bogus “vaccine passports” are being sold for $250 and COVID-19 test results can be bought for a little as $25. Falzon said there are plenty of eager potential customers. Toronto Star reports. | READ MORE
