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Vendors are cashing in on people desperate to leapfrog the line—or falsely certify which they got the shot.Security researchers have experienced 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 a number of vaccines, including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sputnik, and Sinopharm.
Investigations by researchers at security firm Check Point have been monitoring the sites for Covid-19-related activity since January, and they report a three-fold upsurge in such activity throughout 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 correct temperature, potentially rendering them useless.
A week ago, Check Point researchers located in Israel attempted to purchase the Sinopharm vaccine from vendor, said Ekram Ahmed, a spokesperson for the company. “We tried to negotiate and purchase the Chinese vaccine through one of many vendors,” he told Ars. The team messaged the vendor, who directed them to carry on the negotiations on Telegram. Once there, the seller provided reassurances that the vaccine doses were legitimate. The researchers sent $500 to a Bitcoin wallet, and while they’ve received a FedEx shipping label, they’ve yet for the shipment.
Dark web vendors are likely 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 purchase price for negative test results is only $25. Vaccination cards are harder to come 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 making a “digital green certificate” which they desire to roll out by June to allow its citizens and residents to travel across borders. In the US, proof of vaccination could grant people usage of certain venues, and employers may require it of their workers 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 create long-term relationships making use of their customers. The mark Darkode Market, he said, “are folks on the ground, folks who are seeking to spread and sell at the local level in bulk.”
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