The Story:
Scammers make use of the headlines. Their cold-calling telephone pitches, in particular, have to work on strangers by invoking common ground, which they often do with, “You’ve surely seen the headlines lately about….” So it is unsurprising that, with vaccines for Covid-19 making news worldwide, con artists who claim to be selling it are working the phones.
Significance:
The international law enforcement agency, Interpol, is warning people about organized crime networks that are trying to trick people into buying fraudulent medical products that, the scammers claim, will cure or immunize the lucky buyer against Covid-19.
It is true that vaccines have begun to receive approvals from the authorities. But the supplies are very limited, and for some time yet such supplies as do exist will go to the frontline healthcare workers and to nursing-home residents. The general public will have to be patient.
In Pill Form:
Please, readers, do not try to circumvent the processes by which the vaccines are being distributed. And do not listen to anyone who tells you that he/she has special access to doses that he/she will make available to you for a price.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has created an “Operation Stolen Promise 2.0,” to combat the criminal networks faking their access to vaccines.
