The vaccination against the COVID-19 Novel Corona virus, has begun in a number of countries and Indians are waiting with bated breath to know when the vaccination drive would begin in our country! There have been various theories on how the drive would happen and who would be among the first to get the vaccines, in India! Despite the government stating that a plan is in place for administering the vaccines and also that the priority would be for frontline warriors and healthcare workers, there are some who believe that they can get into this priority list, in one of the most common ways in India - bribing!
Taking this very common mindset of us Indians into consideration, a number of scammers have come up with fake apps and websites, which claim to get people into the priority list for obtaining the COVID vaccines, at the earliest! There is a very common habit among a majority of Indians that privilege can be bought with money and that is what happens in most places, including government offices. This has for long been a popular preying ground for criminals to dupe people of their money with promises of getting work done easier and earlier, bypassing the rigours of the right and approved channels! This is quite common in government offices, where brokers claim to get work done for people quickly, given the right amount as bribe.
The Cyber Cell of the Government has issued a clear warning against using any apps or websites, which claim to offer a "pay and register" option for people to get onto the government's priority list for the COVID-19 vaccine. A post on the Cyber Cell's Twitter handle has stated that scammers are making use of the anxiety amongst the people to defraud them. These scamsters send malicious links to people via messages or email or at times, even through phone calls, claiming that they can register to get the COVID vaccine. These links have payment gateways, which asks the users to pay for getting registered. The Cyber Cell, which is maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs, has warned against using such links, stating that people might lose money if they followed such processes. Please beware of such fraudulent links and stay safe from scammers!