Fake COVID-19 vaccines and passports sold on the black market

Selling fake COVID-19 vaccines and counterfeit vaccine cards is seemingly the new get-rich-quick scheme for cyber criminals.

Security researchers at cybersecurity firm Check Point Software said they’ve discovered listings for COVID-19 vaccines from various brands, such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, for up to $1 000 a dose, as well as at least 20 vaccine certificates for $200 each.

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READ: Covid-19 vaccine fakes found in SA, police arrest four suspects

The dark web is a part of the internet not detected by search engines where cyber criminals often sell and buy illicit materials.

According to a report by Check Point Software, it’s uncertain if the COVID-19 vaccines are real, but said “they appear to be legitimate” from pictures of packaging and medical certificates. Advertisements for vaccines on the dark web are up 300% in the past three months.

Checkpoint also revealed that prices for the fake COVID-19 vaccines range between $500 (around R7 400) and $750 ( around R11 000) for doses of AstraZeneca, Sputnik, Sinopharm or Johnson & Johnson jabs. Fake vaccination certificates are also being sold by anonymous traders for as little as $150 (around R2 200).

According to the BBC, Check Point investigators found many sellers offering forged documents, including one supposedly from the UK, with a vaccination card for $150 using the hard-to-trace cryptocurrency Bitcoin as the payment method.

When they got in touch with the seller, the team were told that they just needed to provide their names and some dates for when the fake COVID-19 vaccines occurred.

The seller messaged: “You don’t have to worry…it’s our job….we have done this to many people and it’s all good.”

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Meanwhile, vaccine certificates or proof of vaccination cards are created and printed to order; the buyer provides the name and dates they want on the certificate and the vendor replies with what Check Point said resembles an authentic card.

The counterfeit products are being marketed to people who need to board planes, cross borders, start a new job or other activities that may require someone to give proof of vaccination. Sellers of the fake COVID-19 vaccines appear to be from the US, Spain, Germany, France and Russia.