Beware of Scammers Selling Fake Coronavirus Cures and Vaccines

The worst part about all the rumours and fake news being peddled as the coronavirus outbreak infects more and more people every day is when someone slimy decides to take advantage of the confusing situation to pocket a few extra bucks. The anxiety and panic that surrounds the COVID-19 pandemic is mainly because of how little we know about the disease. But the lack of clarity also means that people are more gullible. But it’s no longer about air purifiers being pushed as a protective measure or bleach being hailed as the ultimate antidote. Now, even some influential people are taking the naive for a ride on the bandwagon of disinformation.

Recently, a US-based televangelist named Jim Bakker, who has previously been discredited in a fraud and sex scandal, began peddling a bottle of silver solution as a cure for coronavirus. Being sold at $40 for a bottle, Bakker claims this medicine contains colloidal silver, vitamins, food rations and herbal seeds. However, The Federal Trade Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration acted quickly and warned people that it was all just a load of bullshit. Bakker is now being sued for his scam. Meanwhile, a conspiracy theorist named Alex Jones has also unveiled what he calls a coronavirus-killing toothpaste. But turns out, he was lying through his teeth and now, the New York Attorney General has strictly warned him against selling his bogus toothpastes, even threatening to sue him. Even Amazon employees had to comb through the website to remove all the fake cures people were putting up.

Another shameful attempt at capitalising on people’s fears has been fake vaccines. Last week, two people identified as Sayid Kayire and Amiina Kayire tried to trick people into buying their alleged vaccines in the Mayuge district in eastern Uganda, until authorities caught up with them. Similarly, in Bangladesh, two people were caught advertising and selling a vaccine that does not exist. In a more recent case, in India, three women were caught giving people fake vaccines for coronavirus in the state of Maharashtra. These women—identified as Radha Ramnath Saamse, Seema Krishna Andhale and Sangeeta Rajendra Avhad—posed as doctors and health officials, and tricked gullible villagers in the Jalpan district. It was only after some villagers informed a medical officer at a rural health centre about this that a complaint was filed. They even used fake medicine bottles to make it all seem authentic, which were seized once they were caught. Authorities have now arrested these scammers and promised strict action against anyone who tries to pull off the same shit. Even in Italy, the country facing the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases after China, fake news of a vaccine against COVID-19 that was made in Australia had begun to surface.

To be clear, COVID-19 currently doesn’t have any cure or vaccine. While scientists are racing to create a vaccine, and those in Israel are even optimistic about it being ready in the next few weeks, we probably won’t get a verified one for at least the next 12-18 months. But even while there is no cure for coronavirus, the World Health Organisation encourages people who are showing symptoms to alert their local health department, self-isolate, drink plenty of fluids, take bedrest, keep washing their hands, wear a mask, and avoid any kind of physical contact.

Amidst a massive infodemic, it’s important to be most alert about what you’re buying or even clicking online. The panic and lack of knowledge have made it a field day for fraudsters and phishing scammers trying to make an easy buck by sending chain mails, messages or even setting up websites that claim to have either a cure or even just important information around coronavirus. Cyber experts recommend that everyone should avoid clicking on any random links or downloading any attachments as these could be fronts for hackers to access your information by posing as the World Health Organisation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The best we can do given the situation is take extreme care and caution, and also take a minute to weed out the fake stuff by verifying it on legit mediums.

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