Fake coronavirus vaccine passports are being sold online cheaply in a fast-growing scam that has alarmed authorities as countries rely on the documents to revive travel and their economies, cyber security experts said.
From Iceland to Israel, countries have started to lift lockdown restrictions for people who can prove they have been vaccinated.
"People are trying to circumvent that by creating false documents, essentially putting the lives of others at risk," Beenu Arora, founder of cyber intelligence firm Cyble, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"We've seen hundreds of websites on the dark web where these documents are being sold ... at the price of peanuts."
The dark web is a part of the internet that lies beyond the reach of search engines, where users are largely anonymous and mainly pay with cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
Fake vaccination papers can be bought for as little as $12, Mr Arora said.
He said the number of listings had sharply risen since they started appearing in late February.
Oded Vanunu of cyber-security company Check Point said researchers at the company had found many dark web advertisements offering documents purportedly issued in the US, Russia and other countries.
"There's a big demand for it," Mr Vanunu said.
Forgeries have also appeared on regular websites and e-commerce platforms, said Chad Anderson, a senior security researcher at online threat intelligence company DomainTools.
Last week, 45 attorneys general from the US signed a letter calling on the heads of Twitter, eBay and Shopify to stop their platforms being used to sell fraudulent Covid-19 vaccine cards.
"The false and deceptive marketing and sales of fake Covid vaccine cards threatens the health of our communities, slows progress in getting our residents protected from the virus, and are a violation of the laws of many states," the letter said.
E-commerce company eBay said it was taking significant measures to block or quickly remove items that made false health claims including vaccine cards.
Days earlier, the FBI urged people not to post photos of their vaccination cards on social media because the information could be used by scammers to forge documents.
Mr Anderson said forging paper documents had become "so easy".
"It's trivial, especially with the editing tools that we have today," he said.
Mr Vanunu said that to make forgery more difficult, vaccination cards should be digitally signed with encrypted keys using a QR code system similar to that adopted in Israel.
Once scanned, the codes would reveal vaccine information and the name of the holder, to be checked against identity documents.
But to work for international travel, such a system would require countries to share data, Mr Vanunu said.
China, Bahrain and a few other nations have already introduced vaccine passports, with South Korea and the EU announcing plans for digital documents.
But the concept has faced strong opposition in other countries, including Britain, where more than 70 members of Parliament described the idea as "divisive and discriminatory".
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 6 Huddersfield Town 1
Man City: Agüero (25', 35', 75'), Jesus (31'), Silva (48'), Kongolo (84' og)
Huddersfield: Stankovic (43')
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE v Zimbabwe A, 50 over series
Fixtures
Thursday, Nov 9 - 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 11 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
Monday, Nov 13 – 2pm, Dubai International Stadium
Thursday, Nov 16 – 2pm, ICC Academy, Dubai
Saturday, Nov 18 – 9.30am, ICC Academy, Dubai
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The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
- Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
- Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
- Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
- Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
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2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
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