Fake Covid Vaccination Certificates On Telegram Courtesy Rapidly Spreading Delta Variant

The Check Point Research (CPR) has seen a 257 percent jump in the number of sellers using Telegram, since March, to advertise fake vaccination cards to those “who do not want to take the vaccine”.

New Delhi: There has been an exponential growth in fake coronavirus vaccine certificates, primarily on Telegram, as per Israel-based cybersecurity firm Check Point, due to the rapidly spreading infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 leading to mounting pressure for vaccination.

The Check Point Research (CPR) has seen a 257 percent jump in the number of sellers using Telegram, since March, to advertise fake vaccination cards to those “who do not want to take the vaccine”.

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Alongside fake PCR Covid-19 tests to anyone willing to pay for as low as $100, down from $200 in March, the advertisements promise the European Union (EU) Digital Covid certificate and Covid vaccination cards from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the UK National Health Service (NHS).

“We believe the broader market surge is fueled by the rapidly spreading Delta variant and the stemming urgency for everyone to become vaccinated. In effect, there are people who don't want to take the vaccine, but still want the freedoms that come with proving vaccination. These people are increasingly turning to the darknet and Telegram in scores,” IANS quoted Oded Vanunu, Head of Products Vulnerabilities Research at Check Point, as saying in a statement.

Vanunu added that “since March, prices for fake vaccination cards have dropped by half and online groups for these fraudulent coronavirus services boast followings of hundreds of thousands of people”.

Although vaccination certificates for almost every country are available for purchase, the majority are being sold from the European nations.

The sellers, according to the Check Point Research team, mostly accept payments through PayPal and cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Monero, Dogecoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and others).

Steam, Amazon and ebay gift-cards are also accepted in some cases. They list their method of contact as Telegram, WhatsApp, email, Wickr and Jabber, the Check Point Research team said advising the people not to engage with the sellers publishing on such groups or marketplaces published in the Darknet.