Pfizer warns on fake online COVID vaccine shots

COVID vaccine maker Pfizer has warned Australians not to try to buy its vaccine via the internet amid fears consumers could fall prey to cyber criminals selling counterfeit coronavirus shots.

The US pharmaceutical company has told a joint parliamentary committee review of vaccine security risks in Australia that because of the pandemic, “there will be an increase in the prevalence of fraud, counterfeit and other illicit activity as it relates to vaccines and treatments for COVID-19”.

Australia is set to import 20 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine by the end of the year. Pfizer said it had been working with governments to secure the supply chain for doses. The company also reminded governments and health agencies that its products are not available for sale via private channels, including from online pharmacies.

“The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is not sold online. Any sales of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments over the internet, including from online pharmacies, are not legitimate. It cannot be purchased in individual doses,” the company said in its submission.

Pfizer also said it was using “robust security measures” on packaging so it has full visibility over where its doses are moving. “We utilise GPS-enabled thermal sensors with a dedicated Pfizer control tower that tracks the location and real-time temperature of each vaccine shipment across its pre-set routes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Fraud experts remain concerned about the potential for vaccine fraud to make its way to Australia after Interpol issued a global warning this year about fake vaccines and treatments being sold online. The only way to get a vaccine is through government-organised vaccination centres or health clinics.

Academics from Deakin University’s centre for supply chain and logistics and centre for cyber security warned in their submission to the committee that criminals could be tempted to exploit disruptions in Australia’s rollout.

“It is highly likely that cyber criminals and hostile foreign nations will utilise any failures, disruptions or negative aspects of the Australian vaccine rollout with the intent of monetising the opportunity (for example, selling fake vaccines due to government deployment delays) or, in a worse case, to cause political and economic disruption to Australia,” they said.