Coronavirus: Ventilator, PPE, Fake Covid-19 Vaccine, Dark Web Sale

Over 600 COVID-19It has been confirmed that medical products, consumables and fake vaccines related to are sold on the dark web.

The Australian National University Cybercrime Observatory discovered 645 listings of 222 unique supplies on the platform in April.

This included masks, test kits, and personal protective equipment.

“Unsafe vaccines, diverted antivirals-very deficient and large amounts of PPE were found on the dark web,”-said Professor Rod Broadhurst of the study.

No Covid-19 vaccine has been tested in humans.

Most vendors were in the US, Europe, and the UK. However, only one vendor shipped from New Zealand.

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Prime Minister Jacinda Adern said Thursday that there were no ongoing reports of such illegal online activity in New Zealand.

“The monitoring I received doesn’t capture that data on an ongoing basis,” she said at daily press conferences.

NetSafe has not been reported by people concerned about trading on the dark web, said Martin Cocker, CEO of the company. But those who visited the Dark Web were well aware of the risks it poses.

Cocker said it wasn’t a shock to hear such products being sold during the pandemic, including vaccines not yet made.

“When we talk about the Dark Web, it’s no shock.”

Most of NetSafe’s transactions with the Dark Web have been to track illegal product or image transactions.

A study commissioned by the Australian Crime Institute found “vaccines” from more than 100 vendors.

Such products accounted for almost 10% of Covid-19 listings and were among the most expensive products. The most expensive fake vaccine was sold from the US for A $ 24,598 (NZ $ 26,144).

Inclusion of Covid-19 ‘Vaccine’ in the illegal market was a comical case for Dr. Helen Pettus Harris, a vaccinologist.

“First of all, no Covid vaccine has completed a human trial. Zero, Zipnada,” she said.

“I don’t want to ingest, consume, inject, or inhale anything that is sold as a vaccine on Darknet.”

The product for sale could have been a fungicide or even sugar.

Broadhurst believed that these items could be diverted from animal and human trials or even sourced from recovered patients.

“Apart from possible fraud, details about the origin or composition of the vaccine were sparse,” he said.

“A fake vaccine may act as if the user is immune, but nevertheless may be exposed to the coronavirus, which could help spread the virus,” he said.

In addition to this, the legal vaccine that was available will be provided to kiwi free of charge, Pertousis-Harris explained.

Accidental purchases of such items were not expected to be a problem for the average Internet user. The Dark Web is part of an encrypted net separate from the regular World Wide Web that is generally accessed.

“The problem is the dark web. It sounds like a mysterious cave. [that] You accidentally fall [into] It’s from the World Wide Web, but it’s not. “

“This is essentially another way to access the Internet, but it doesn’t have the same rules and technologies as the Web.

“The average person [going to] Find yourself on the dark web. “

Broadhurst said the sale of endangered medicines and fake vaccines “provides a real risk to public health and safety and needs to be addressed promptly.”

However, the Covid-19 related scams were not the only problem with the dark web. There was a sufficient number of scams on the regular web, Cocker said.

Counterfeit PPE, available online, is a source of concern in New Zealand and around the world.

“People must be vigilant in both.”

Customs inspectors Warn about these kinds of products at the border.

“We remain vigilant and closely monitor international trends in the provision of counterfeit or defective personal protective equipment, including masks.” staff.

“While there is high demand for items such as N95 masks, the public should be wary of opportunists trying to disguise and sell their products online to make money in New Zealand or abroad.”