Interpol has warned law enforcement agencies around the world that organized criminal networks could attempt to advertise and sell fake Covid-19 vaccines physically and online.
In an Orange advisory issued to all 194 member countries on Wednesday, the Lyon-based international police cooperation body warned agencies to prepare for possible criminal activity in relation to “counterfeiting, theft and illegal advertising of Covid-19 and flu vaccines “.
“It also includes examples of crimes where people have been advertising, selling and administering bogus vaccines,” said an Interpol statement.
Interpol issues an orange notice to warn of an event, person, object, or process that poses a serious and imminent threat to public safety.
The CBI, which is the national head office of India, is tasked with coordinating with Interpol.
The warning came on the day the UK became the first Western nation to approve a Covid-19 vaccine, beating the United States and the European Union in the race to approve a vaccine.
Interpol has called on law enforcement organizations to ensure “the security of the supply chain” and said “it will be essential to identify illicit websites that sell fake products.”
“Criminal networks will also target unsuspecting members of the public through bogus websites and fake cures, which could pose significant risk to their health, including their lives,” Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said in a release.
“It is critical that law enforcement agencies are as prepared as possible for what will be an onslaught of all kinds of criminal activity related to the Covid-19 vaccine, which is why INTERPOL has issued this global warning,” the official said. Interpol’s cybercrime unit has analyzed that of 3,000 websites associated with online pharmacies suspected of selling illicit drugs and medical devices, around 1,700 contained cyber threats, especially phishing and spam malware, making these operators even more powerful. to cause financial and health damage.
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