The ad on Own Shop, a dark web market, claims the vendor has been infected by coronavirus and is now selling their blood and saliva, which in theory could be immune to the virus and used to treat other coronavirus patients.
“I do this to provide for my family financially,” the post states, under the $1,000 price tag. The hoax post is part of a huge surge in COVID-19-related scams on deep and dark web markets where criminals seek to exploit public fear by offering products that could allegedly serve as virus tests or vaccines. Other items on sale include rapid COVID-19 test kits, temperature detectors, and even a purported coronavirus vaccine. Growing scams Hackers, cybercriminals, scammers, and state-sponsored groups are all taking full advantage of the global coronavirus pandemic to gain a foothold inside secure government networks, and trick people into handing over their money, buying fake items, and disclosing personal information. One of the most popular tactics for cybercriminals is to register websites using names like “corona” or “covid” to trick victims into thinking they are official domains. According to data gathered by IntSights, there’s been an exponential rise in the number of domains registered using these terms. In the whole of 2019, only 190 domains were registered using the words “corona” and “covid.” In January of 2020 alone, that number was over 1400, and during February, it soared to over 5,000 before topping 38,000 in March. While some of the sites are legitimate, many are being used by criminals to lure unsuspecting victims to hand over their personal information or even their money.