The U.S. Department of Justice has taken action against a Texas-based company that claimed to sell a COVID-19 vaccine kit online.
According to Forbes, a civil complaint and court papers were filed against a company in Austin that promoted a “World Health Organization COVID-19 vaccine kit” and promoted the product at a price of $4.95. The U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman issued a temporary restraining order against the site and accused it of wire fraud. Pitman also asked for the domain host to remove the website on Saturday.
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A statement released by Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt of the DOJ’s Civil Division said they will swift action to take down companies that are trying to profit off of the pandemic:
“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.”
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The FBI said in a report last week that there has been a rise in coronavirus-related scams that are targeting three states within the nation.