Pfizer Inc. recently said that it discovered the first confirmed cases of fake versions of COVID-19 vaccines it developed with BioNTech SE, the latest attempts by criminals trying to exploit the vaccination campaign worldwide.
The Wall Street Journal reported that vials seized by authorities in separate investigations were tested by Pfizer and verified to contain fake COVID-19 vaccines.
The company said that the vials recovered in Mexico had deceitful labeling as well, while the substance found inside vials in Poland was possibly an anti-wrinkle treatment.
The news report specified that around 80 people at a Mexico clinic were given a fake vaccine, spending approximately $1,000 per dose, although they don't seem to have caused any physical harm.
According to Nuevo Leon state's health secretary, Dr. Manuel de la O, the vials discovered in beach-style beer coolers had different lot numbers compared to the ones delivered to the state. They indicated the wrong expiration date, too.
Police authorities said, no one there had been given the fake COVID-19 vaccine, which was seized in an apartment.
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Pfizer Inc. recently said it has discovered the first confirmed cases of fake versions of COVID-19 vaccines it developed with BioNTech SE, the latest attempts by criminals trying to exploit the vaccination campaign worldwide.
COVID-19 Vaccine-Related Crimes
These most recent findings are said to be the latest in an initiative between drugmakers like Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna, Inc. to stem COVID-19-related crimes.
This worldwide rollout of shots has given criminals a new opportunity to take advantage of gullible and unsuspecting individuals.
The world head of security of Pfizer, Lev Kubiak said, everybody on Earth needs the COVID-19 vaccine. There is a very limited supply, a supply that, he said, will increase "as we ramp up" and other firms join the vaccine world.
In a similar report, Fox Business said, government officials and records said, the United States, Mexico, and other nations have sized and shut down numerous websites that fraudulently claimed to sell shots or a link with vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna.
Moreover, the government and industry officials said, the fake, company look-alike websites looked appeared to be searching for the personal information of consumers to be used in identity fraud tactics.
According to Interpol, the international police agency, in March, police in South Africa and China seized thousands of doses of fake COVID-19 vaccines in manufacturing plants and warehouses, apprehending dozens of people.
Scams Amidst the Pandemic
Currently, Mexico is investigating too, a shipment of approximately 6,000 dozes of supposed Sputnik vaccine from Russia which were recovered from a private plane, reportedly headed to Honduras. Authorities have not identified yet of the vaccines are authentic
For months now, agents from the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, a US Department of Homeland Security investigative arm, have been investigated fraud associated with the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, seizing $48 million worth of fake personal protective equipment or PPEs, masks, and other products.
The IPR officials said, last fall, investigators shifted their focus that would include COVID-19 vaccines that were close to potential clearance by regulators, starting with online scams. To date, they have taken out 30 websites and seized more than 70 web domains.
So far, the DHS said, no counterfeit vaccines have been found in the US. However, limited COVID-19 shots, as well as their high demand can steer many people to search for vaccinations outside official channels, specifically in countries like Brazil and Mexico, where cases of the virus are high, and it is known for its history of faking or forging drugs, according to industry and security experts.
A similar report is shown on Poland In's YouTube Video below:
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