Share this article
Fake Covid Certificates, Stolen Vaccines Sold on Dark Web for Bitcoin
The dark web vendors like the ubiquity and anonymity of the top cryptocurrencies, a new report said.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 1:20 p.m. Published Jul 2, 2021, 1:14 a.m.
Fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates, stolen vaccines and falsified doctors' signatures are being sold on the dark web for bitcoin.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
According to a report on Thursday from blockchain analytics company Coinfirm, vendors have been selling the certificates and vaccines in exchange for a range of cryptos, including bitcoin, ether, dash, litecoin, tron, monero and zcash.
Coinfirm says those kinds of crypto are being chosen because of their ubiquity or the anonymity they offer as privacy coins.
One particular dark web vendor, known as the "COVID-19 Vaccine Shop," appears to be selling vaccines in bulk from AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BionTech, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Sputnik V, Coinfirm reported.
The report also said fake COVID-19 certificates, which were part of a "probable health sector corruption" from multiple vendors in the U.S., Russia and other countries, were being sold.
Not only were fake certificates masquerading as proof of vaccination being sold to clients, but their details were being entered into national health systems wherein certain instances doctors' signatures were found.
One bitcoin address that received funds for fraudulent vaccine certificates belonged to an exchange registered in Hong Kong that caters "strongly to Eastern European clientele," Coinfirm said.
CoinDesk attempted to clarify which exchange Coinfirm was referring to and how it identified Eastern Europeans as a major market but did not receive a reply to a request for comment by press time.
Coinfirm did mention, however, the well-worn issue regarding certain exchanges lacking "know-your-customer" (KYC) controls, allowing for an "easy" fiat on/off ramp for criminals to cash out.
"It is for these reasons that every obliged entity should institute rigorous KYC policies," Coinfirm said.
See also: Russia and US Dominate Global Dark Market Traffic: Report
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Asia Morning Briefing: Fed Cut Brings Little Volatility as Bitcoin Waits for Japan
CryptoQuant data shows seller exhaustion as whales pull back from exchanges, while traders prepare for a closely watched BOJ meeting that could influence global liquidity.
What to know:
- Bitcoin remains stable above $91,000 as the Federal Reserve cuts rates by 25 basis points.
- Market attention shifts to Japan, where a rate hike is expected at the upcoming Bank of Japan meeting.
- Gold prices rise following the Fed's rate cut, while silver hits a record due to strong demand and tight supply.
Top Stories
