Website selling fake coronavirus vaccine shut down by Justice Department
The U.S. government is taking swift action on what is sure to be the first of many coronavirus-related scams. On Sunday, the Justice Department announcedit had taken its first enforcement action in federal court to combat coronavirus-related fraud. The scam came from a website called “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” which was promoting supposed coronavirus vaccination kits from the World Health Organization. The website has since been taken down thanks to a court order. These vaccine kits do not exist. There is currently no vaccine for COVID-19. Experts estimate that a vaccine is at least12-18 months away from being developed and made available. The federal government was able to take such quick action thanks to a statute that "permits federal courts to issue injunctions to prevent harm to potential victims of fraudulent schemes." The Justice Department says the investigation into the website and its operators is ongoing. Mashable has reached out to the Justice Department to find out more about how it discovered the fraudulent website and to find out how many people were possibly victimized. According to the DOJ statement, “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” was “engaging in a wire fraud scheme seeking to profit from the confusion and widespread fear surrounding COVID-19.” The website was charging a shipping fee of $4.95 for these nonexistent medical kits. The site also included fake testimonials from fictional customers. The scam website claimed that upon receiving the vaccine kit, the user needed to mix the "drugs and vaccines" contained in one "pellet" with a second pellet "containing instructions" telling the drugs "which compound to create." Once water is added to the concoction, the "treatment is ready," according to the site. A temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman required that Namecheap, the the domain's registrar, block access to the website. The “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” domain name was registered on March 4. In a statement, U.S. Attorney John F. Bash requested that domain registrars continue to act in order to “quickly and effectively shut down websites designed to facilitate these scams.” Attorney General William Barr has called for the Justice Department to prioritize illegal activity surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. It’s unclear who is behind the website. A WHOIS search for the domain can usually pull up the name and contact information for the registrant. However, “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” is using a WHOIS privacy service which obfuscates the registrants personal details. “The Department of Justice will not tolerate criminal exploitation of this national emergency for personal gain,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the Department of Justice’s Civil Division in a public statement. “We will use every resource at the government’s disposal to act quickly to shut down these most despicable of scammers, whether they are defrauding consumers, committing identity theft, or delivering malware.”Tweet may have been deleted
相关推荐
-
How much will PCB's Champions Cup mentors be paid?
-
Chuck Todd wants to know when we can talk about gun violence solutions
-
Osaka feels the 'itch' to play again
-
Fawad welcomes ECB’s recommitment to tour
-
17 Places That Harness the Power of the Sun
-
Presidential office orders compensation for damage from North Korea trash balloons
- 最近发表
-
- Update your BIOS: Utilities from Top Motherboard Makers
- 助“荔”文化传承!南山古树荔枝采摘权转让项目成交
- Apple announces iOS 11 and... we hope you like Siri
- North Korea denounces South Korean top diplomat's visit to China as 'begging diplomacy'
- “新丰味”喜获中国首届县域品牌擂台赛十大营销创新品牌
- 万亩园亩万元 饱肚子挣票子
- 广州人保探索“保险+期货+银行”新业态,为养殖户“贷”来底气
- Parliament to hold disciplinary committee on lawmaker over alleged sexual assault
- Apple Intelligence is now a little easier to get outside the U.S.
- Apple announces iOS 11 and... we hope you like Siri
- 随机阅读
-
- 9 Festive Holiday Treats and Where to Find Them
- 促成合作80.54亿元!“粤贸全国”广东
- Rival parties slam N. Korea for firing shells across border
- The best plays from the 'Overwatch' Open North American finals
- 2016's $400 GPU vs. 2019's $400 GPUs
- N. Korea fans military tension
- Portugal rule world for sales but profits yet to create success
- S. Korea, U.S, military chiefs vow strong response to N. Korea provocation
- Best CPU Deals, AMD vs Intel: Holiday CPU Buying Guide
- S. Korea on high alert over N. Korea's possible provocations
- Apple announces iOS 11 and... we hope you like Siri
- Arteta eyes more special days after Arsenal sweep past Tottenham
- Wordle today: The answer and hints for August 27
- S. Korea on high alert over N. Korea's possible provocations
- Mario Kart VR is coming to arcades, so get your red shells ready
- Apple will soon block autoplay videos and data tracking in Safari
- Cicadas love to land on people. Experts explain why.
- I love watching the Kardashians because they remind me of the closeness of my own family
- 名山区医教联合 做好2022年高考体检工作
- N. Korea's multiple provocations seen as retaliation against int'l condemnation: experts
- 搜索
-
- 友情链接
-