Fake Covid vaccination certificates selling on Telegram: Report

Check Point Research has come up with a report in which it has listed the countries impacted by the fake certificate scam and it even lists the prices at which the fake vaccination certificates are selling.  According to the report, a fake vaccination certificate for India is available at a price of about $75 ( ₹5,520) each.

According to the blog, more and more people who are avoiding vaccines are opting for fake documents in order to travel without major restrictions. 

The blog claims that back in December 2020, the cybersecurity agency spotted hundreds of adverts in the Darknet offering supposed vaccines for sale. The hundreds of adverts presented, back then, a 400% increase compared to previous months. In March 2021, while the global roll-out of Covid-19 vaccinations started to accelerate, the number of adverts tripled to over 1,200 with sellers based in the U.S. and European countries such as Spain, Germany, France and Russia. Prices for fake ‘vaccine passports were US$250 each, while fake negative COVID-19 test results cost just US$25 each.

The agency shared a report in August 2021 claiming that fake ‘vaccine passport’ certificates were on sale for US$100-US$120, with majority of sellers from European countries. 

In August 2021, CPR saw the number of sellers to number around 1,000. The blog claims that the number of sellers has grown exponentially to north of 10,000, marking a 10x increase.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in India, various state governments have mandated certain regulations for those undertaking inter-state travel by road or air to mitigate the further spread of the virus.

Travellers are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result (RT-PCR report) or a vaccination certificate to visit some states that see large influx of tourists.