Pfizer, Moderna and other pharmaceutical companies have developed vaccines for COVID-19, and the first people in the UK are already starting to receive the first doses. As the distribution of these vaccines will be carried out exclusively through the authorities of each country, there is no possibility to buy a vaccine to be administered independently ahead of time. That doesn’t stop drug traffickers from selling on the dark web what they claim is a vaccine developed by Pfizer. But the price is mind-boggling: over $ 1,000.
Those who buy these COVID-19 vaccines from the dark web have no guarantee that they are real
According to Vice.com, there are multiple listings on anonymous sites on the dark web with vendors claiming to be in possession of doses of COVID-19 vaccine. They would be sold in pieces, and the price for a single dose reaches 1,336 US dollars, ie 0.06993 Bitcoin, according to the screenshot on Vice. The listing says that shipping to any international country is free and that the country of origin of the product is the USA.
However, it appears that these listings are more than likely misleading, as when Vice journalists asked for evidence of the authenticity of the vaccines, they provided a stock photo of the internet with vaccine bottles labeled Vaccine COVID-19. Real vaccines have more information on the label, as well as a clear name, not a generic one.
In the turmoil of this period, when vaccines exist and are beginning to be delivered to the countries that ordered them, but are not yet approved by the competent authorities, those with deep pockets could be tempted to buy such vaccines. They may even be tempted to buy two doses per person, as the vaccine must be repeated every few months to ensure effectiveness with the same model. The sellers even claim that they are pharmacists and that they came into possession of the vaccines following a purchase from the authorities. However, none can prove the provenance or authenticity of the bottles.
In fact, vaccines require storage at a controlled temperature below zero degrees and can then last after being distributed to clinics only a few days at low temperatures, but above zero degrees. Most likely, even if it were a real vaccine that is being sold, it would reach customers in an inefficient state.
