On Sunday, December 27, the EU has officially launched its program of mass vaccination against COVID-19. The BioNTech-Pfizer vaccines are being distributed in the EU. Meanwhile, the head of the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol has warned that organized crime will now attempt to use the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 for fraud.
Europe has already recorded many cases of fraud, with dozens of vaccine offers appearing on social media. If the fraud constitutes simply a failure to deliver, the only ill-effect is the loss of money. The sale of fake vaccines, however, is much more dangerous.
Catherine De Bolle, formerly chief of the federal police in Belgium, warned that the use of fake vaccines will cause serious health consequences. During the first lockdown, thieves targeted face masks, now they are targeting the vaccine.
“This is now also a danger with the vaccine,” De Bolle said. “Europol is trying to identify possible hotspots at which there is a particularly high risk of criminal offences, and then warn the national authorities. There is also special police cooperation in the EU to protect the transports.”
The transportation of the vaccines is organized in the first instance by the Limburg-based firm H. Essers, which has 600 refrigerated and secure trucks to bring the vaccines from the Pfizer factory in Puurs near Mechelen to the airports or distribution centres in each of the EU member states, according to the plans of each government. From there, the shipments will be distributed to vaccination centres according to the member state’s own arrangements, including security provided by police and/or military.
There are also other ways of how criminal groups will try to exploit the need for a vaccine for their crimes. The fraud may take one of two forms: either vaccine are ordered and paid for and then never delivered, or the vaccines on offer are fake.
The transporting of the one vaccine currently approved for use in the EU is highly ordered and carried out under top security, so criminals will find it difficult to lay their hands on the real thing – but that will not stop them from trying.
Reminding, that in Europe nursing homes were the first to receive the vaccine. In Italy, which in the spring became the center of the spread of coronavirus in Europe, the first to vaccinate were health workers. In the Czech Republic, on the other hand, Prime Minister Andriy Babish was the first to receive the vaccine. In Germany, two women living in a nursing home have been vaccinated first.