New Delhi: The Interpol has issued an orange alert to its 194 members countries warning them to prepare for organised crime networks targeting COVID-19 vaccine-both physically and online.
The International Police Organisation (Interpol) on Wednesday issued the alert outlining potential criminal activity in relation to the falsification, theft and illegal advertising of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, with the pandemic having already triggered unprecedented opportunistic and predatory criminal behaviour.
"As governments are preparing to roll out vaccines, criminal organisations are planning to infiltrate or disrupt supply chains," said Jurgen Stock, Interpol secretary-general. The notice issued by the Interpol also highlighted the examples of crimes where individuals have been advertising, selling and administering fake vaccines.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Dr Tamorish Kole, president of Asian Society for Emergency Medicine said that this is a matter of great concern. "Citizens of every nation need to be educated on the potential threat. I am sure, Government of India is looking into this and will ensure last-mile delivery of the vaccine," said Dr Kole. He said that the vaccine delivery system must be robust and can be linked with Aadhar like ID so that individuals who are vaccinated can be tracked, if necessary.
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The Interpol notice further said that as a number of COVID-19 vaccines come closer to approval and global distribution, ensuring the safety of the supply chain and identifying illicit websites selling fake products will be essential."The need for coordination between law enforcement and health regulatory bodies will also play a vital role to ensure the safety of individuals and wellbeing of communities are protected," the Interpol said in its message.
"Criminal networks will also be targeting unsuspecting members of the public via fake websites and false cures, which could pose a significant risk to their health, even their lives," it said. The message further said that as international travel gradually resumes, it is likely that testing for the virus will become of greater importance, resulting in a parallel production and distribution of unauthorised and falsified testing kits.
Significantly, in addition to the dangers of ordering potentially life-threatening products, an analysis by the Interpol's cybercrime unit revealed that of 3,000 websites associated with online pharmacies suspected of selling illicit medicines and medical devices, around 1,700 contained cyber threats, especially phishing and spamming malware.
"To avoid falling victims to online scams, it is important to be vigilant, be sceptical and be safe, as offers which appear too good to be true usually are. Always check with your national health authorities or the WHO for the latest health advice in relation to COVID-19," the alert issued by the Interpol said.
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