COVID-19 Vaccines at the Risk of being Illegally Obtained by Fraudsters

There is nothing more awaited than the coronavirus vaccine this year. The international agencies are already concerned about the possibility of the criminal activities that come along with the distribution stage of the COVID-19 vaccine. The criminal network will try to target some distribution networks as the vaccine is getting ready to be delivered. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 55 million people and has killed 1.3 million people around the world in less than a year. The economy has been devastated and almost every industry has fallen into bankruptcy. 

Secretary-General of Interpol, Jürgen Stock states “High demand combined with a limited supply will make COVID-19 vaccines the equivalent of liquid gold to organized crime networks as soon as one is available. As the global COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, so must the law enforcement response, and these updated guidelines provide a useful reference document for frontline officers to protect themselves and the communities they serve.”

Jonathan Cushing, head of operations at TI Health Initiative states, “Whilst most vaccines have little street value, initially limited supplies of a COVID-19 vaccine — compounded by a likely high demand from anxious populations — will make it a target for theft and diversion. Make communities aware of the dangers posed by the black market or illegal sales, and the introduction of corruption reporting hotlines.”  

Chief of Interpol also highlighted it is necessary that some actions are taken to protect both legal supply chain when the vaccine is all set to be distributed and also to stop the production of the fake vaccines and their distributions. 

The agency has updated the regulations to identify the criminals. The regulations also include recommendations regarding fraud and money-laundering. 

The vaccine can be misused by illegally obtaining it for selling, a data breach of the vaccine’s combination, stolen identities to get vaccinated in someone else’s place, misselling of the vaccine under a fake company’s name, and much more.