Done the law done the snare. In times of pandemic, we saw it first with the illicit sale of masks and medical supplies. Then with drugs supposedly effective against the coronavirus; and the sale of supposed vaccines on the dark web. Now it is the turn of the covid passport. For months, countries both in Europe and in other continents have begun to request the coronavirus vaccination card as a requirement to enter the country. Either that, or a negative PCR or antigen test. But the criminals have already started to move and false certificates have increased with the arrival of summer.
The digital green certificate is the proof that governments need to show that a person has been vaccinated. Although the vaccination rate is constant and thousands of people are vaccinated every day, there is still a lot to do. And there are people who are not willing to wait to complete their vaccination record. A report by Check Point Research warned of the increase in false certificate advertisements, most of them through the dark web. Specifically, from dark web groups that have between 70,000 and 500,000 members.
The prices range between 100 and 150 euros; They are mostly covid passports from countries like Holland, Switzerland or Greece. Specifically, those that still allow the certificate to be displayed on paper in addition to or instead of the QR code. Eusebio Nieva, Technical Director of Check Point Software for Spain and Portugal, explained to Hipertextual that it is much more difficult to falsify a QR code like the one requested in most European countries. “If you come from a European country you have no choice but to show that common certificate. But you can say that you have been to Canada or Russia, that you have been vaccinated there and you show the certificate on paper.”
Nieva warned that one of the main problems that facilitate the sale of false covid passports is that many countries have not agreed on a common document. “The heterogeneity of the documents and ways of showing it is a benefit for the criminals who in the end what they seek is to create certificates that look real,” he said. And in many cases they succeed. Investigations by Checkpoint Research experts found that many of the criminals who sell covid passports on the dark web have previously sold false documentation, such as passports or driver's licenses. “They are not amateurs” , he warned.
Fake covid passports, also on Telegram
Dark web groups are the perfect place to buy fake covid passports. Before it was also marketplaces, until a hack turned everything upside down. Checkpoint Research explained in its report that one of the sites that sold vaccines, vaccination cards, PCR tests and covid certificates was the victim of a hack. As a consequence, communication with sellers was switched to dark web chats. Also to Telegram channels.
Hypertextual has found one of the channels in which covid passports are sold.
For a price of 250 euros, the creators of the channel offer the QR code according to which the person requesting the false certificate has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, has recovered from the disease or has tested negative in a PCR test. Clearly, the group could be a scam, as has happened previously with the announcements of vaccines against the coronavirus that never reached their buyers.
First of all, it is not a massive channel (as of the publication date of this article, it has 45 subscribers) and they affirm that the green certificate will be part of the database of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). Eusebio Nieva clarified in an interview that each country has its own database, which is later synchronized with that of the ECDC. “If a database in a country were vulnerable, a false certificate could be added. Because if a database is poorly protected, the risk multiplies.” However, Nieva added that at the moment there is no reliable sign that one of these databases has been compromised.
Despite the fact that the Telegram channel may be false, the technical director of Check Point Software for Spain and Portugal warned of the need for to always verify the identity of the person who has a QR code. “There has to be a procedure to verify that the data in the QR code matches that of the person presenting it,” he said.
Where there is supply, there is demand
For now, the sale of false covid passports is not a cause for alarm in the European Union, nor in Spain, one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate in the eurozone. However, it is a fact that where there used to be a seller, now there are 500. “That means there is business, there is demand and that there are people who are using it. That is the indicator” Nieva warned.
In many cases it is difficult to distinguish a false PCR document from a true one
They are not only sellers of certificates and vaccination cards, but also of negative PCR tests. In this case, the danger may be greater because they are easier to falsify documents. In the end, it is a paper for a laboratory that in most cases can be replicated. Checkpoint Research confirmed that on many occasions it is difficult to recognize a fake PCR document from a real one. Especially if it comes from a foreign country.
The modus operandi to sell fake PCR tests is the same in all cases (dark web chats or Telegram groups). Although there is not yet an alert for these counterfeits, the consequences can be serious. It is important to note that a person who buys a fake covid certificate, acquires a fake vaccination card, or a PCR test does so because they feel desperate. It may be because you have tested positive for coronavirus, so you decide to buy another false test that certifies a negative. If you manage to travel with that document, it can be a source of contagion for the rest.
A step back in the covid passport, also in the fight against coronavirus
Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels .com It may not be a cause for global alarm. Especially since it is difficult to determine how many people have bought a fake covid passport or digital green certificate. In all cases, payment is made through Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. It is impossible to know who is behind the accounts with which they pay, not even from which country they come, but there are indicators that are worrying. Like the one Eusebio Nieva pointed out about the increase in people who sell these covid products.
From Checkpoint Research they ask that governments be more aware of this problem and do everything possible to avoid it. The fight against the coronavirus has dominated a large part of our lives since last year and the vaccination is the great hope to be able to have a part of our life before the pandemic again.
Anything that can put you in danger can be a step backwards. The “passport to freedom” is what we all want, especially for this summer vacation. The problem is that some people are willing to do everything in their power to achieve this. Until crossing the line of legality.
Mexico is not spared
The cases of sale of fake covid passports have no borders. In some Latin American countries such as Mexico, the authorities have not only warned of the danger of these practices, but also of the legal consequences.
The Secretariat of Citizen Security of Mexico City echoed some news from local media reported that false vaccination certificates were offered in the Historic Center of the Mexican capital. In these cases, the plot went beyond the dark web and reached the streets.
The SSC warned that those who buy or issue this false document could be tried for a crime that can entail 3 to 6 years in prison and a hundred to one thousand days' fine in the case of public documents.
People who may be interested in buying a fake vaccination record are not doing so just because they don't want to get vaccinated. Also because, even being vaccinated, they may not be able to enter the European Union. While the European Medical Agency has approved the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, many Mexicans have been vaccinated with others such as Sinovac or CanSino.
Therefore, by not being vaccinated with one of the vaccines approved by the EU, they can have complications to enter European territory. The fake covid passport can provide, in this case, the guarantee that a person can travel to Europe if it certifies that that person has been vaccinated, for example, with Pfizer.
