The Lyon-based international police cooperation organization is ringing the alarm bell.
In an orange safety alert notice, Interpol warns its 194 member countries of "potential criminal activity linked to counterfeiting, theft and illegal promotion of vaccines against Covid-19 and influenza".
According to Interpol, "the pandemic has already given rise to unprecedented predatory and opportunistic criminal activity" with the arrival already on the market of "the promotion, sale and administration of fake vaccines" against the coronavirus ...
A threat that will grow "as several vaccines against Covid-19 approach approval and wide distribution.
"Interpol calls on member countries to" ensure the security of the supply chain and identify illicit websites that sell counterfeit products.
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"A significant health risk"
According to Interpol, these actions of organized crime primarily target the general public.
"They constitute a significant risk for the health, even the life of the victims of these organizations or individuals", underlines Jürgen Stock, the secretary general of Interpol.
Likewise, Interpol calls on its members to be vigilant against the risk of circulation of false tests, the use of which risks increasing with the imminent resumption of international travel.
And the phenomenon is far from marginal.
Interpol's cybercrime unit recently identified some 3,000 websites linked to pharmacies suspected of selling counterfeit and illegal drugs and medical equipment.
