"COVID-19 Vaccine for Sale"... 'Dark Web' Scam Alert

Moderna's novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] Individuals claiming to sell COVID-19 vaccines have appeared on the dark web, where all kinds of illegal trades such as drugs, weapons, and sexual exploitation materials are rampant.

The French daily Le Parisien reported on the 5th (local time) that the sale of COVID-19 vaccines is taking place on the dark web. However, experts diagnose that it is highly likely to be a scam, as there have been no reported cases of stolen COVID-19 vaccines so far.

Israeli security firm Check Point revealed that over 1,000 COVID-19 vaccine-related sites appeared on the dark web when clinical trial results were first released in November last year, and among them, about 10 sites were found to be selling vaccines.

French cybersecurity company Abija Partners also explained that sites claiming to sell small quantities of COVID-19 vaccines developed in China and Russia have appeared on the dark web.

The prices were set between $250 and $1,000 (approximately 270,000 to 1,090,000 KRW). They only accept payment in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. In particular, to avoid crackdowns, they reportedly open sites for only a day to a week before disappearing, making tracking difficult.

Currently, on the dark web, not only fake vaccines but also malaria treatment drug chloroquine, which is mistakenly known as a COVID-19 treatment, COVID-19 negative certificates, and blood from COVID-19 patients are being traded. Experts analyzed that 10% of the items traded on the top 25 dark web sites were related to COVID-19.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.