According to the Interpol “You cannot find legitimate, approved COVID-19 vaccines for sale on the internet; legitimate vaccines are not for sale, they are strictly administered and distributed by national healthcare regulators”.
The Food and Drug Administration Philippines (FDA) warns the public against buying of COVID-19 vaccine such as, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines from Online Selling Platforms and Social Media.
The public is advised that this is a scam which uses online platforms and social media to attract buyers specially those who have preference on the brand of vaccines specifically our countrymen who work abroad (OFWs).
The modus operandi of the scammers includes offering of a promo deal like buy 2 take 1 deal. Once you place your order to the online selling platform, the seller will send a chat message and will give his private contact numbers usually Viber, WeChat or WhatsApp. Payment will be requested to be settled thru Gcash or bank transfer prior arrangement of delivery. After the payment, another person/number will send a message asking for courier or delivery fee. When the delivery fee has been paid, another person will send a message asking for the payment of insurance fee. No vaccine product will be delivered even when all payments have been settled.
The FDA reiterates its call on the general public specially the OFWs, to remain vigilant about these scams. Currently, all COVID-19 vaccines available in the Philippines are under Emergency Use Authorization, these are given by the Philippine government at no cost or free of charge. The marketing and sale of any COVID-19 vaccine in the country is currently prohibited and punishable by law; further, the safety and quality of vaccines purchased unlawfully cannot be guaranteed as these may be counterfeit or have not been transported in the right temperature (Cold Chain), the public is reminded that counterfeit or spoiled vaccines may result to serious harm or injury, and may even lead to death.
As of today, the Philippine government assure the public that there are no counterfeit COVID-19 Vaccines available in the country. All Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and Local Government Unit (LGUs) are requested to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are not sold or made available in the market or areas of jurisdiction.
The Bureau of Customs is also urged to prevent the entry of the unauthorized Covid-19 Vaccines.
To report any sale or distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, kindly email us at [email protected]. For any suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR), report immediately to FDA through this link: https://primaryreporting.who-umc.org/Reporting/Reporter?OrganizationID=PH and fill out all the required fields.
Dissemination of the information to all concerned is requested.