As it is known, there is a wide debate about the Corona virus vaccine and its mandatory between supporters and opponents.

Some want to circumvent and bypass the security barriers that require carrying a permit or vaccination card to pass by forging the required permits.

This is what some fraudulent groups provide by providing fake permits to thousands of people.

Recently, Italian authorities shut down 32 Telegram groups that provided fake COVID-19 permits to thousands of people.

Criminals preferred cryptocurrency payments in exchange for the illegal service.

Fake Permits and Crypto Payments:

According to a recent report ReutersItalian police have suspended the work of several groups on the online messaging application Telegram.

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The scammers provided fake COVID-19 health passes to people who wanted to bypass the law and get certificates in exchange for cryptocurrency.

The so-called “Green Pass” allows Italians who have already received at least one coronavirus vaccine, have recently recovered from the virus, or have tested negative to go to cinemas, gyms, museums, restaurants, etc.

The criminals did not have a fixed price for the illicit service, as it could be purchased in some groups for 500 euros or 588 dollars.

However, Italian officials did not disclose what kind of cryptocurrency the scammers accepted.

Italy has been one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus in Europe.

But although nearly 130,000 people have died from the virus, many residents are still reluctant to get vaccinated.

According to the aforementioned source, about 20 million people have obtained the “Green Pass”.

It is still not clear if all the testimonials belong to the people who obtained them legally or were part of the cryptocurrency scam that is the subject of our article.

COVID-19 Vaccines on the Dark Web:

This is not the first time that scammers have attempted to sell fake coronavirus certificates in exchange for cryptocurrency.

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In July, some users on the dark web submitted vaccination passports and even stolen doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The most popular cryptocurrencies for criminals are Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Monero.

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Blockchain analytics firm Coinfirm explained that fraudsters choose this payment method due to the anonymity and global popularity that cryptocurrencies offer.

The scam was so widespread that besides such famous vaccines as Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, one could even buy the Russian product Sputnik V.

The majority of criminals providing these services were from the Russian Federation or the USA.

In contrast, it was Eastern Europeans who bought most of those vaccines and forged vaccination passports.

The estimated price of the products was $250 per 10 doses, or the equivalent in cryptocurrency.

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