The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) warned EU governments on Monday 15 February against offers to provide them with Covid-19 vaccines. “These offers are very often fake, and should be reported”, OLAF warns in a statement.
Ville Itälä, Director-General of OLAF, said: “We are hearing reports of fraudsters offering to sell vaccines to governments across the EU”.
The fraudsters may offer to sell large quantities of vaccines, deliver a sample in order to pocket the first advance payment and then vanish with the money. “They may deliver batches of fake vaccines. Or they falsely may purport to represent legitimate business and claim to be in the possession of or have access to vaccines”, explains Mr Itälä. “They are hoaxes organised to defraud national authorities. They must be stopped as quickly as possible”, he warns.
OLAF is therefore investigating the illegal trade in Covid-19 vaccines (illegal importation of these products and/or marketing of counterfeit vaccines). The Office will share the information received with the Member States.
On 19 March 2020 OLAF opened an investigation into the smuggling of masks, disinfectants and medicines related to the pandemic (see EUROPE 12451/3). To date, the investigation has uncovered 1,000 suspect operators and has resulted in the seizure of more than 14 million items.
Link to the press release: http://bit.ly/3jQ5BY6 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)