British detectives are reportedly looking for a man posing as a health worker who injected an elderly woman with a fake coronavirus vaccine at an inflated price.
London Police announced Friday that they were looking for information on a man who was posing as a National Health Service worker and injected a 92-year-old woman with a fraudulent coronavirus vaccine for £160 ($217), according to The Argus.
The man reportedly was invited into the southwest London home by the victim Dec. 30, where she was injected with a “dart-like implement,” The Argus reported. The man also charged the woman £160, saying that it would be refunded by the NHS.
JUST IN — A fraudster claiming to work for the NHS injected a 92-year-old woman with a fake Covid-19 vaccine, City of #London Police has said.
The scammer charged charged £160 for the fake coronavirus vaccine shot
BEWARE OF HIM: pic.twitter.com/ISVAt4tKyl
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 8, 2021
The 92-year-old woman is doing well with no known ill effects following a check-up at a hospital, The Argus reported, though it is unclear what substance she was injected with. (RELATED: HEALTH
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“This is a disgusting and totally unacceptable assault on a member of the public which won’t be tolerated,” Detective Inspector Kevin Ives told The Argus.
Police also released images of the man that were taken after he made a second visit to the woman’s home, The Argus reported, where he asked for an extra £100.
“It is crucial we catch him as soon as possible as not only is he defrauding individuals of money, he may endanger people’s lives,” Ives added.
In recent weeks, scammers around the world have targeted at-risk populations with fake websites to steal personal information from victims, which could be later used for fraud and malware attacks.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned people about deceptive and misleading products being used as counterfeit treatments or vaccines for coronavirus.