Vendors are cashing in on people desperate to leapfrog the line—or falsely certify which they got the shot.Security researchers have seen a spike in listings on dark web marketplaces in recent weeks. The sites are advertising from vaccine doses to falsified vaccine certifications and negative test results. Currently, a lot more than 1,200 listings are offering many different vaccines, including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sputnik, and Sinopharm.

Investigations by researchers at security firm Check Point have now been monitoring the sites for Covid-19-related activity since January, and they report a three-fold increase in such activity during the last three months. It’s unclear if the doses are legitimate, and even when they were, there’s no guarantee that the vials have been stored at the proper temperature, potentially rendering them useless.

A week ago, Check Point researchers based in Israel attempted to get the Sinopharm vaccine in one vendor, said Ekram Ahmed, a spokesperson for the company. “We tried to negotiate and choose the Chinese vaccine through one of many vendors,” he told Ars. The team messaged the seller, who directed them to carry on the negotiations on Telegram. Once there, the vendor provided reassurances that the vaccine doses were legitimate. The researchers sent $500 to a Bitcoin wallet, and while they have received a FedEx shipping label, they have yet to get the shipment.

Dark web vendors are probably doing better business selling falsified vaccine cards and negative test results. “Lately, we’re seeing more vaccination certificates being offered” than vaccines, Ahmed said. “It’s probably a two-to-one ratio.”
With COVID-19 testing becoming more widespread, the price for negative test results is only $25. Vaccination cards are harder in the future by and are available for more, around $200. These certificates are becoming passports of sorts, allowing people a freedom of movement they haven’t enjoyed in months. The European Union is in the act of fabricating a “digital green certificate” that they desire to roll out by June allowing its citizens and residents to visit across borders. In the US, proof of vaccination could grant people use of certain venues, and employers may require it of their employees to come back to the workplace.

The researchers have alerted Europol to the listing and are contacting others today.the Check Point spokesperson, said that the sellers they contacted on dark web marketplaces were hoping to setup long-term relationships using their customers. The goal dark0de market, he explained, “are folks on the floor, folks who are trying to spread and sell at the neighborhood level in bulk.”