A user on DeepPaste, the dakweb version of Pastebin, where criminals sell illegal products and services, has advertised a COVID-19 vaccine that has been developed by Israel.

While there has been news of Israel’s Institute for Biological Research developing a vaccine, it has not yet been deemed safe and effective. A CloudSEK researcher initiated an email conversation with the seller. And during the interaction, the seller claimed that:

• The Coronavirus vaccine is available in bulk and can be shipped worldwide
• The attenuated vaccine has been tested and confirmed
• A 20 ml vial costs $10 and they only ship orders of 100+ vials

When the researcher requested the seller for proof, they sent us a stock image from the internet.

When confronted with the fact that the image is from a different website, they said that the website belongs to them. On further probing the seller about the medical details of the vaccine, we got the following response: “We have so many to ship. We are not begging or convincing if you are interested you pay and we proceed. If you are not ready keep your money. Thanks.” While the world is reeling, under the unprecedented humanitarian and financial impact of COVID-19, scammers are finding new ways to exploit people’s ignorance and anxiety. As seen from the slew of such scams and malware attacks that CloudSEK has been reporting on, these attempts are increasing everyday. So, during these trying times, it is important for us to be aware, cautious, and not succumb to these malicious efforts