‘Vaccines’ for sale as crims hit dark web

Dark web vendors are selling drugs marketed as coronavirus vaccines, as criminal groups exploit public fear.

A patient receives a shot in a clinical trial of a genuine potential vaccine for COVID-19. Picture: AP.

Dark-web vendors are selling drugs marketed as coronavirus vaccines, diagnostic tests and masks as criminal groups exploit public fear and healthcare short­ages.

A study commissioned by the Australian Institute of Criminology found one fake vaccine being shipped from the US for $24,598.

Researchers analysed 20 dark-net markets in April and found 645 listings, including 222 unique listings, of COVID-19-related products. Some were most likely to have been stolen from stores and factories.

“Crime follows opportunity and the COVID-19 pandemic offers profiteering arising from shortages and fear,” the Australian National University study finds.

Almost half the listings (44.6 per cent) were for personal protective equipment such as surgical masks, often in bulk quantities. A third were for antiviral or repurposed medicines.

Drugs promoted as “vaccines” made up almost 10 per cent of the listings and were among the most expensive.

“We found unsafe vaccines, repurposed antivirals — which are in very short supply — and quite a lot of bulk PPE on the dark web,” said Roderic Broadhurst, from the ANU Cybercrime Observatory. Biosecurity-hazardous products were the most dangerous because some were marketed as if they were leaked from real trials.

“We really need to shut down underground sales of vaccines and experimental drugs because there are a lot of nasty side effects,” Professor Broadhurst said.

“Apart from likely fraud, details about the origin or composition of vaccines were sparse. These products may have been diverted from animal or human trials, or even sourced from recovered COVID-19 patients.”

The study, to be released on Thursday, notes that vendor swindles are common on dark-web markets.

“We undertook no purchases and the veracity of products on offer could not be verified,” the study says.

“Information on purchases was not available. Darknet markets are prone to scams and fake or substitute product deliveries are commonplace.

“COVID-19-related products are unlikely to be exempt.”

Among the items discovered for sale was a single ventilator, priced at $2000, and a coronavirus survival handbook.

Thermo-scanners, rapid virus tests, protective suits, N95 face masks, sanitisers and gloves were also for sale.

Antimalarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, contentiously promoted as a possible treatment, were for sale for inflated prices.

Of 110 vendors identified, eight were active in multiple markets. A small proportion of vendors accounted for most listings and the estimated value of all unique listings was $369,000. Three listings claimed to be shipped from Australia.

“The available products were most likely diverted or stolen from factories, stores and warehouses or laboratories producing PPE or pharmaceuticals,” the study said.

Bulk offers included a vendor selling “10,000 GOOD QUALITY LAB TESTED FACE MASK FOR CORONA” for $17,952.

There were fewer COVID-19-related products on dark-net markets than drugs such as the highly addictive synthetic opioid fentanyl or firearms and other weapons.

“Tor dark-net markets are frequently used as a litmus test of illicit drug and malware trends, as well as criminal novelty and entrepreneurship more generally,” the study says. “Surveys of darknet markets help track prices of narcotics and other drugs as well as surges or shortages in certain drugs or contraband.”