SAN DIEGO — British grandmother Maggie Keenan was the first person in the world Tuesday to receive the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19.
“It is wonderful really,” she said.
The UK’s first 800,000 doses are going to the most vulnerable population, hospital and nursing home workers, and the elderly.
But as demand for the vaccine increases so does the potential for scams, according to the FBI.
“They would reach out via email. They reach out via telemarketers, or they would reach out on a malicious web site and direct potential victims to that website,” said Timothy Thibault, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Washington D.C. criminal division.
At the beginning of the pandemic, agents raided the Carmel Valley offices of Dr. Jennings Stayley, later charging him with offering to sell fake COVID-19 treatment kits to an undercover FBI agent.
The FDA saw an explosion of fraudulent COVID-19 cures early one, including immunity formulas, COVID-19 cough syrups, and magnetic therapy devices.
Now, experts said it’s only a matter of time before fake vaccinations start to hit the internet. The potential of long waits to get a vaccine will create a void for crooks to promise immediate availability.
Consumers need to beware of online offers and make appointments for vaccinations directly from local providers, doctors, or hospitals. And while scammers may be looking to make a quick buck, that's not all you need to worry about.
“It's not the money that you need to be concerned about. It's that false sense of security that you're immune,” said John Caras, a biosecurity expert.
In the United States, the first people to receive vaccinations will be health care workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities.
