Fake vax certificates for India available on Telegram for Rs 5,500 each

New Delhi: Amid vaccine mandates, a report by Check Point Research on Thursday has revealed that fake vaccination certificates and test results are being sold on Telegram for around Rs 5500 in India.

According to the report, the black market for fake vaccine certificates has expanded globally, now selling certificates in 29 countries, including India, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

Since March, CPR has spotted over 5,000 Telegram groups selling fake documents, making it the primary selling platform.

In a statement, Oded Vanunu, Head of Products, Vulnerability Research, Check Point Software Technologies, said that vendors are choosing to advertise and do business on Telegram as it is less technical to use as compared to the Darknet, allowing them to reach an inordinate amount of people at a fast pace.

Vanunu added that a broader market surge is fuelled by the rapidly spreading Delta variant and the stemming urgency for everyone to become vaccinated.

"I strongly recommend people to not engage these sellers for anything as these vendors are after more than just selling you fake vaccination cards," Vanunu said.

According to him, although many do not want to take the vaccine, a lot of them wants the freedoms that come with being vaccinated such as travelling and access to places.

"Since March 2021, prices for fake vaccination cards have dropped by half and online groups for these fraudulent coronavirus services boast followings of hundreds of thousands of people," Vanunu said.