Vaccine Scammers Target Governments

Criminal gangs have been approaching several countries, claiming that they possess legitimate access to Covid-19 vaccines, in the hope of signing hefty contracts. The nations which were approached included the Netherlands, Latvia, France, Israel, Austria, Colombia, Brazil, Canada, Spain, and a few others.?

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These scammers talked national, regional, and local governments into buying famous vaccines and signing deals, and the governments at later stages only, realized that it was all a scam. Officially, France has never negotiated directly with distributors and has always received vaccines via the European Commission. Brazil entered into discussions but soon backed out. Austria eventually comprehended that something was wrong, and called in law enforcement. And Colombia pressed the vendors to prove that they had links with the manufacturer, which they didn't. A total of approximately 50 to 75 scammers have been identified by the United States Homeland Security, however, no one knows if any of the offers or offers have been successful.

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Countries are desperate for vaccines, and officers are under the pressure that they may end up signing bogus contracts. Interpol is on the verge of issuing an advisory to governments warning them of potential scams, to solicit information for conducting better and successful investigations. On the other hand, vaccine makers are unequivocal that they would sell vaccines directly to governments and not via intermediaries.?

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The US FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has warned all concerned officials that criminal organizations posing as either vaccine makers or third-party intermediaries are attempting to scam governments. They claim huge stocks and half of the payment in advance.

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In Italy, regional governments were the ones who carried out vaccination campaigns and claimed to have received several offers from individuals and companies who promised to provide them with vaccines. Once it was confirmed that scammers were at work, law enforcement opened investigations.?

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The scammers claim to possess millions of doses and provide detailed instructions to transfer funds into escrow accounts. They also claim that they could verify the authenticity with vaccine manufacturers. They prey on fear and that urgent vaccine deliveries can be made possible.?

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The earlier bunch of scams have been crude and easily identified. Now, however, scammers are using real company names and can go undetected and unidentified for long. Vaccine makers, often, remain oblivious for a long, long time.?

- Aindri Abhishek Singh

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