- Pfizer has discovered at least two instances of fake COVID vaccines, the company said on Wednesday.
- In Mexico, around 80 people paid $1,000 apiece for a fake COVID vaccine, Pfizer said.
- In Poland, vials containing anti-wrinkle treatments were being passed off as COVID vaccines.
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
Fake coronavirus vaccines are popping up, with the first two cases in Mexico and Poland, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
In Mexico, around 80 people reportedly paid $1,000 apiece for a shot that was advertised as a vaccine for COVID-19. In Poland, a man with vials of what appeared to be anti-wrinkle treatment was passing it off as a vaccine; he was caught before any shots were administered, local authorities told the WSJ.
Pfizer did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
“Everybody on the planet needs it. Many are desperate for it,” Pfizer’s world head of security Lev Kubiak told WSJ. “We have a very limited supply, a supply that will increase as we ramp up and other companies enter the vaccine space. In the interim, there is a perfect opportunity for criminals.”
Read more: EXCLUSIVE: A top research and development exec at GlaxoSmithKline is leaving the company, which is the world’s vaccine leader
Pfizer, together with Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, are the three primary producers of COVID vaccines. All three are working with law enforcement globally to police fake vaccine distribution.
Interpol said it confiscated thousands of vials of counterfeit coronavirus vaccine in raids earlier this year in South Africa and China. No fake shots have been discovered in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Got a tip? Contact Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (bgilbert@insider.com), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.