Italian police have broken up a network that was selling fake European vaccination certificates and vaccine vials online, where purchases and sales can be completed in cryptocurrency, Efe reported today.
According to the Spanish news agency, thousands of users have already been registered.
The financial affairs and anti-fraud and cybercrime officers of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Milan (North) identified and blocked ten accounts and channels on “Telegram”, referring users to anonymous “dark web” accounts, where they can be obtained. Fake testimonials and vaccines, local media reporting.
“The new criminal activity focused mainly on the sale of European vaccination certificates with false identification data for the vaccine, the corresponding QR code and number identifying the combination of origin of the first and second doses of the vaccine,” the police said. Quoted by Efe.
Those responsible for the scheme claimed that fake diplomas could even be given to people residing in countries outside the European Union, such as the US, UK and Switzerland.
“Despite the exorbitant prices and extremely exorbitant health risks,” the police notes, thousands of people registered on illegal channels in search of vaccines and certificates, attracted by the opportunity to purchase “all-in-one” packages, priced at between 110 and 130 euros, with the guarantee of anonymity , and track and trace the shipment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed at least 3,957,862 people worldwide, resulting in more than 182.5 million infections, according to the latest report from AFP.
In Portugal, 17,108 people died and 884,442 were confirmed, according to the latest bulletin of the Directorate General of Health.
The respiratory disease is caused by the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, which was discovered in late 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
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