Cheap And Festive Only Rp1.4 Million, Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Certificates Are Selling Well On The Black Market

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccination. (Wikimedia Commons/US Secretary of Defense)

JAKARTA - The rapid spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 throughout the world, has made sales of fake COVID-19 vaccine certificates selling well, along with many people who do not participate in the vaccination program.

Unmitigated, the fake COVID-19 vaccine certificates are digital COVID-19 vaccine certificates issued by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the UK National Health Service (NHS) and the European Union.

And, this sale is busy on the black market by utilizing information technology tools. Just look at the study conducted by the research team who are members of Check Point Research (CPR).

Since March 2021, CPR reported a 257 percent jump in the number of sellers using cloud-based instant messaging software to advertise fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates, as pressure to get vaccinated increases.

The price of this fake vaccine certificate in the range of 100 US dollars or around Rp. 1,436,565, can be purchased using PayPal or crypto currencies such as Bitcon, citing The Jerusalem Post Thursday, August 12. Fake COVID-19 PCR test results are also offered.

CPR said black market groups had an average of 100,000 followers, with some groups having more than 450,000 followers, a 566 percent increase from March, when cards sold for close to $200.

Illustration of a COVID-19 vaccine certificate. (Wikimedia Commons/Juliettpapa97)

They note that the cloud-based instant messaging software is the most commonly used digital marketplace for these transactions, which has sellers based in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Pakistan, Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Indonesia and France, with the majority being sold in these countries. Europe. Prior to March, most counterfeit certificates were sold on the dark net, CPR said.

Oded Vanunu, Head of Products Vulnerabilities Research at CPR, said: "We are looking at moving away from selling the dark web to Telegram and similar services like WhatsApp.

"We have studied the darknet and Telegram for services related to the corona virus throughout the year. Currently, fake vaccination cards for almost all countries are now available for purchase. All you need to do is list the country you are in," he said.

"We believe the surge in the broader market was driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant and the urgency that stems from everyone getting vaccinated. As a result, there are people who don't want to take the vaccine, but still want the freedom that comes with proving vaccination," he explained.

He added that since March, the price of fake vaccination cards has dropped by half and the online group for this fake coronavirus service has hundreds of thousands of followers.

"I strongly advise people not to get involved. These sellers are for anything, because these vendors are after more than just selling you fake vaccination cards," he concluded.