Millions of people are waiting for their turn to receive the newly-released COVID-19 vaccines. Delays in getting vaccines to the public, however, have led to a growing number of online scams claiming to offer the shots to anyone willing to pay the right price. Government officials in the United States and Europe are warning the public not to be fooled by such scams, which they say can be used to steal money and personal data. They can also endanger the health of people falling for the offers. Reuters news agency searched vaccine offers on internet websites, the Telegram messaging service and places on the dark web. The dark web is a part of the internet that cannot be found through normal search engines. It uses digital tools to hide identifying information and is often used for criminal activity. The Reuters search found at least seven different offers for products claiming to be COVID-19 vaccines.
