Ads for COVID-19 ‘Vaccines’ Increased 300% on Dark Web, Researchers Say

(HACKETTSTOWN, New Jersey) – Advertisements for COVID-19 “vaccines” have surged 300% on the dark web, according to a report released last month, with some of the purported shots advertised between $500 and $1,000.

The researchers also found forged vaccine certificates for $250 and negative COVID-19 test results for as low as $25. The illegal unverified “vaccines” and forged documents create potent health risks for buyers of the products and for the public at large, according to the report.

The findings were published in a March report  by the research team at Check Point Software Technologies, a cyber security company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The researchers said the advertisements often try to appeal to travelers looking to cross borders and bypass COVID-19 restrictions.

“We do negative covid tests, for travelers abroad, for getting a job etc. Everything is done within 24 hours, without big collaterals,” one seller advertised in a screenshot provided in the report.

Another screenshot on a dark web forum showed a conversation between a seller and potential buyer of a $110 counterfeit COVID-19 vaccine certificate from a clinic in Moscow. The certificate would make crossing Russia’s border possible, according to the report.

“Many people already passed (the borders) with it,” the seller wrote in reply to the potential buyer.

As of April 7, more than 710 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, according to Our World in Data. That’s roughly 9% of the world’s population, meaning billions are still waiting for the vaccine while others hope to resume travel again.

“So there’s a strong and growing demand for vaccinations and test results because of the greater freedoms they will give to people,” the researchers wrote, adding that there are “shady people willing to service that demand.”

A screenshot of an advertisement for COVID-19 “vaccines” on the dark web. (Courtesy: Check Point Research)

Forged documentation and “vaccines” related to a deadly virus could pose a significant health risk to both the buyer and the public. Crossing international borders with counterfeit negative test results and vaccination certificates could further spread the virus if the person using those documents isn’t actually vaccinated or has COVID-19. Likewise, the authenticity of the “vaccines” being offered on the dark web is unclear. Injecting oneself with an unknown substance is inherently dangerous.

Health officials and people who work at international borders “should watch for authenticity indicators on documents such as misspellings, errors, low quality logos, and errors in terminology,” the researchers warned. They cited examples such as “corona disease” and “the covid epidemic,” that may appear on counterfeit documents purchased on the dark web.

A screenshot of an advertisement for COVID-19 vaccine certificates on the dark web. (Courtesy: Check Point Research)

Governments around the world continue to debate whether or not they’ll mandate vaccine “passports,” like the ones offered on the dark web, and how they’ll be created and authenticated. Traveling between countries with vaccine certificates will also require countries to agree to recognize each other’s passports.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently told the podcast Politico Dispatch that the U.S. will not require vaccine passports.

“As COVID-19 is likely to play a major role in dictating what we as individuals can and cannot do in our daily lives for the foreseeable future, countries’ governments should be aware of this fast-growing illegal and dangerous trend for fake vaccination certificates and ‘official’ medical records being sold and produced to whoever wishes to pay for them,” Check Point researchers wrote.