Since the beginning of 2020, the spread of COVID-19 around the world has also caused panic among the people. The arrival of the vaccine is good news for everyone and can also give the public a little peace of mind. Unscrupulous people and scammers on the Internet are taking advantage of people’s inner vulnerabilities and constantly inventing new fraud methods. According to a report recently released by the anti-fraud company Bolster, some malicious people are taking advantage of people’s desire for vaccines to defraud.
COVID-19 vaccine scams appear online, using malicious domain names to peddle fake products
Fraud prevention company Bolster found, 12,490 domain names related to vaccines, COVID-19, etc. were registered in 2020. Especially in March 2020, COVID-19 was There has been a huge increase after the WHO confirmed it as a global pandemic, and almost half of the websites contain malicious or suspicious content and have been activated. In some cases, these websites have email functions, and cybercriminals use this function to collect the email addresses of netizens and send various emails for phishing.
COVID-19 vaccine scams have appeared on the Internet. The following website claims to be “the world’s first consumer COVID-19 vaccine” and also advertises free shipping. The vaccine called Sinovac was launched by a Chinese company and was approved by China for use in high-risk groups. The company has also reached deals with Brazil, Turkey, Singapore and Indonesia to cooperate. The vaccine is still in the third phase of trials, so the current rollout is still regarded as a clinical trial rather than an official promotion. Although the vaccine is real, the website is obviously fake. Bolster Research listed several key points in detail to clearly disclose that this is not a real vaccine website:
1. The domain name is registered in Panama and the domain name owner is hidden.
2. The company address and phone number in the domain registration information are shared by other companies, including car wash services and talent management companies.
3. This website sells vaccines free of charge, but the Sinovac vaccine needs to be stored in a refrigerated environment between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius to maintain effectiveness, which cannot be ensured without the use of expensive professional transport boxes.
As vaccines are being introduced one after another around the world, Taiwan is also expected to introduce it in March. However, people still do not know when and where they can get vaccinated. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of this confusion to sell fake vaccines and other types of scams, including:
1. Home kits allow people to produce vaccines at home using raw materials.
2. Allow users to be placed on the vaccination priority list.
3. Resale “excess” vaccine inventory from exclusive channels.
4. Vaccines that replace real vaccines.
5. Buy a spot from someone who has already made an appointment for vaccination.
6. Use false data and news to disturb people’s minds.
※Picture source:TechRepublic
So how can the public guard against these various scams from unknown sources?
First of all, do not buy vaccines online. Since Taiwan’s laws control the sale of medical supplies, if you see someone selling vaccines on the Internet, it must be fake. You can report him directly. Secondly, vaccine information is obtained from the government and official health agencies. This type of vaccination program is uniformly managed by the government, and various rules are formulated to ensure fairness in distribution and priority of demand. If you would like further information about vaccinations, please contact your local health agency directly.
◎Data source:Bolster、TechRepublic
Source: KOCPC Chinese