Top security official warns of covid vaccine scams


Criminals are targeting not only individuals but also care facilities, he says, describing a phony “pharmaceutical representative” who offered to sell a residential care facility a number of

vaccines to inoculate its patients and staff. Fortunately, though, administrators suspected something was amiss, contacted Pfizer and learned it was a ruse, he says. Talking about the

pandemic-induced onslaught of scams and frauds, Kubiak says Pfizer noticed criminal organizations purporting to sell coronavirus vaccines last spring, many months before the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec. 11 authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in this country. (Now the FDA is poised to authorize a second coronavirus vaccine, from

Moderna, for emergency use in the U.S.) Throughout the health crisis, Pfizer surveilled COVID-19 scams and reported what it spotted to government authorities, Kubiak says. “We began to

scour the open web and the dark web for anything — any intelligence — related to COVID-19 related scams.” The intelligence it tracked and shared dealt with counterfeit protective gear — face

masks, gloves and gowns, for example — and counterfeit treatments. Even last spring “we saw criminal organizations purporting to sell vaccines when no vaccine existed,” he says. That told

Pfizer officials that regardless of which drug manufacturer's vaccine candidate would be greenlighted, the potential for fakes was high. — Lev J. Kubiak, Pfizer's chief security

officer "The best offense is a good defense, as they say, the more we can educate people, the more we can reduce the demand for counterfeit medicines." Last April Europol, the

European Union police agency, warned about the “potential harm of offline and online scams offering alleged versions of the COVID-19 vaccine.” Earlier this month, it urged countries to be

vigilant about “possible involvement of criminals in the vaccine development and distribution process." Observed Kubiak: “Anytime you have a shortage and a group of desperate

individuals seeking to obtain things that they need ... you always find criminals taking advantage.” Kubiak says experience trying to combat the multibillion-dollar scourge of counterfeit

drugs worldwide positioned Pfizer to help tackle the crimes it foresaw would erupt once a coronavirus vaccine emerged. Already fakes purporting to be popular drugs such as Viagra, Lipitor

and Xanax are not just a major headache for legitimate drug manufacturers, they can be deadly to consumers, he says. As an example of a lethal product, he pointed to the antianxiety pill

Xanax being laced with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid typically used for advanced cancer pain. Pfizer works with customs organizations and federal law enforcement agencies around the globe “to

help interdict and stop and identify significant counterfeiters that are involved in profiting from this type of trade,” according to Kubiak, who says it's also important to raise

public awareness. "The best offense is a good defense, as they say,” he concludes. “The more we can educate people, the more we can reduce the demand for counterfeit medicines."

FBI: REPORT VACCINE SCAMS AND COVID-19 FRAUD The FBI said it “remains vigilant as scammers continue to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic for personal gain.” In a statement Thursday to AARP, the

bureau acknowledged complaints of scammers using the public’s interest in COVID-19 vaccines to obtain personally identifiable information (PII) and money through various schemes. PII

includes Social Security numbers and other sensitive data. “The FBI continues to work diligently with our law enforcement partners and the private sector to identify cyber threats and fraud

in all forms,” the statement added. Victims of COVID-19 fraud are encouraged to immediately report cases to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.