Surge of COVID-19 vaccine related scams, security experts warn

Cybersecurity experts are warning of another surge of COVID-19-related scams — just ahead of another surge of people trying to get vaccine appointments in Washington state.

Everyone 16 years and older will be eligible to get the vaccine starting May 1.

But experts said they are seeing a spike in vaccine-related phishing emails and even people selling counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines online.

About 25% of people in Washington state have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“No, not yet, I wish! I’m on the waiting list,” said Adrienne Foote, who lives in Seattle.

Cybersecurity experts said scammers are ready to take advantage of this opportunity as millions of people wait to be notified of eligibility or for an appointment.

“These vaccines are the world’s most heavily wanted resource right now,” said

Maya Levine, a cybersecurity expert with CheckPoint Software Technologies.

CheckPoint stated a common pitfall is one that could land in your inbox — vaccine-related phishing emails.

“It could be something like ‘Hey, you’re actually eligible for your vaccination. Click here to schedule an appointment.’ After you’re vaccinated — maybe, it’ll be like, ‘There have been updates with your vaccine, and you need to click here to learn information,’” Levine said.

The Better Business Bureau sent out a warning last week about a phishing scam where people get a text or email that claims to be from Pfizer. In some versions, the message offers you money or a gift card for completing a linked survey about your experience. It’s actually a link that will seek personal information or even install malware.

Experts said the best thing you can do is avoid clicking on any emailed or texted links from unknown senders.

“What attackers are doing is trying to take advantage of people’s fear and desperation,” Levine said.

CheckPoint stated its researchers see a sharp increase of ads for COVID-19 vaccines for sale on the dark web — spiking 300% between January and March, with now more than 1,200 sellers on the dark net.

The dark web is essentially unsearchable websites that can’t be found by crawling search engines like Google.

They offer a variety of vaccines for sale from Johnson & Jonson to AstraZeneca, and even the Chinese and Russian vaccines.

“The chances of these sellers being able to steal these vaccines from warehouse or distribution chains, then sell them, is much lower than they’re just trying to scam people,” Levine said.

The company stated it tried to buy a dose online and was offered the vaccine for $750. It paid in Bitcoin. The vendor said it shipped and then disappeared off the internet.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the COVID-19 vaccine is free in the U.S. No vaccine site will require your Social Security number to book an appointment.

The federal government is providing the vaccine free of charge to all people living in the United States, regardless of their immigration or health insurance status.

COVID-19 vaccination providers cannot:

·       Charge you for the vaccine.

·       Charge you directly for any administration fees, copays or coinsurance.

·       Deny vaccination to anyone who does not have health insurance coverage, is underinsured or is out of network.

·       Charge an office visit or other fee to the recipient if the only service provided is a COVID-19 vaccination.

·    Require additional services in order for a person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine; however, additional health care services can be provided at the same time and billed as appropriate.

COVID-19 vaccination providers can:

·   Seek appropriate reimbursement from the recipient’s plan or program (e.g., private health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid) for a vaccine administration fee.

o   However, providers cannot charge the vaccine recipient the balance of the bill.

Cox Media Group