COVID-19 vaccines are coming, and it is important that we all get one.
But organized crime is already selling fake vaccines, so we need to be smart about how we get them. Help us warn Americans about COVID vaccine counterfeiters.
ICE's Homeland Security Investigations and INTERPOL have warned people all over the world to prepare for organized crime diverting, counterfeiting or constructing fraudulent schemes around COVID-19 vaccines. PSM wants to get the word out.
Public safety message
COVID-19 Vaccines Are Coming, And It Is Important That We All Get One. But organized crime is already selling fake vaccines, so we need to be smart about how we get them. Help us warn Americans about COVID vaccine counterfeiters. Watch this video to learn more.
How you can help spread it
PSM is watching the news to learn about COVID-vaccine scams here and around the world.
COVID scammers are preying on the public to try and make a buck, and in some cases, endangering their lives.
Public safety imagery
Key messaging
Click to save this image for Twitter, or download the Instagram version.
Click to save this image for Twitter, or download the Instagram version.
Click here to like and share this on Twitter, click this image to download, or download the Instagram version.
Click to save this image for Twitter, or download the Instagram version.
Click to save this image for Twitter, or download the Instagram version.
COVID-19 Vaccines Are Coming, And It Is Important That We All Get One. But organized crime is already selling fake vaccines, so we need to be smart about how we get them. Help us warn Americans about COVID vaccine counterfeiters.
COVID vaccines won’t come from Amazon, AliBaba, or non-US pharmacies. The first vaccines have temperature control requirements and can't just be mailed to you. You can only get them through a licensed U.S. healthcare provider such as a brick and mortar pharmacy or hospital. [Click here to like and share this on Twitter]
Scammers have already been caught selling fake COVID treatments and fake COVID vaccines and cannot wait to scam you for money for the real vaccines when they come out.
If you have any questions about how to get an authentic vaccine or questions about vaccines themselves, please consult the CDC's COVID-19 vaccine information page.
Healthcare professionals: Do not purchase COVID-19 vaccines from entities unless they have pharmaceutical wholesale licenses from your state’s Board of Pharmacy. Check licensing with your state board of pharmacy or through the FDA: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-supply-chain-integrity/verify-wholesale-drug-distributor-licenses
The broader #covidscam situation
As Legitscript points out in its April 2020 report, The COVID-19 Crisis: An Outbreak of Cybercrime Related to the Pandemic, "crisis breeds opportunists"—and it's certainly true that opportunists have stepped up to take advantage of COVID-19.
PSM has been tracking the explosion of crime that has sprung up around COVID-19 treatments and products (or the promise of treatments and products) since mid-March, when public reports of fake treatments, counterfeit protective equipment, and price gouging began emerging around the U.S. We are broadly sorting news about these crimes into five categories which you can consult below: counterfeit medical equipment, black market drug sales, fake therapies, price gouging, and financial scams.
Share our 5 types of #covidscams bookmark and safety tips for buying medicine during the pandemic (in English and Spanish) to help keep people safe.
Our #covidscams bookmark educates patients about five kinds of online crime that have spiked since the pandemic. Download a copy for yourself.
Counterfeit Medical Equipment
- West Linn man pleads guilty in federal court for importing and selling $2.5 million in counterfeit N95 masksDecember 11, 2023
- Eastern District of New York | United States files civil complaint against eBay alleging its sales of illicit products results in environmental harm | United States Department of JusticeSeptember 27, 2023
- Lexington executive admits selling counterfeit n95 masks during pandemic: facing up to three years in prison - The Lexington TimesJune 1, 2023
Read more news about COVID-scammers selling counterfeit medical equipment.
Read more news about scammers promoting and selling fake treatments for COVID-19.
Black Market Drug Schemes
- Almost Half A Million Illegal Medicines for Covid-19 and Erectile Dysfunction Seized This Year - Derry NowAugust 26, 2022
- FDA Warning Letter: Pharmacy2Home/LandiCom Holding LTDFebruary 3, 2022
- Remdesivir Scam Accused Planned to Make 80K Fake Injections, says Indore Police | Hindustan TimesJune 4, 2021
Read more news about unethical drug hoarding and black market medicine sales.
Price Gouging
- Federal Trade Commission Scores Two Victories in Separate Actions Against Companies Who Failed to Deliver COVID Personal Protection Equipment During Early Days of the PandemicAugust 1, 2022
- S.I. Business Owner on Hook for $90K and Jail Time in Covid-19 PPE Sales Scheme - silive.comMay 6, 2022
- Impostors! Crime in the Time of COVID-19 Targets Life Science IndustryJanuary 18, 2022
Read more news about COVID-scammers price-gouging on critical supplies.
Financial Crime
- COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force Releases 2024 ReportApril 9, 2024
- Southern District of Alabama | Mobile man sentenced to more than seven years in prison for fraudulent PPP loan application and fentanyl distribution | United States Department of JusticeAugust 23, 2023
- Former Missouri Rep Patricia Derges reports to federal prison to serve six-year sentenceApril 15, 2023
Read more news about COVID-19 cons.