"Mr Fix It" warns the public to be wary of Covid-19 vaccine scams

KUALA LUMPUR: As Malaysia rolls out Covid-19 vaccinations, Datuk Seri Michael Chong warns the public to be wary of vaccine scams.

The MCA Public Services and Complaints Department chief shared that he received a screenshot of an online shopping platform listing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine a few days ago.

"All these are scams to cheat the people of their money," he told a press conference on Friday (March 5).

Any such listing on the platform cannot be found at the moment and the veracity of the screenshot cannot be determined.

The Star has contacted the shopping platform for its comments on the matter.

Chong expressed his concerns as some people believed such advertisements.

He said the vaccine, which supposedly cost RM63.88 and had free shipping, would be fake as two shots of the vaccine would have to be administered.

He also asked how the shipping would be done as the vaccine needs to be stored in extreme cold temperatures.

When asked why people trusted such scams, Chong said it could be due to desperation.

"They are desperate and scared to be infected by Covid-19," he said.

Chong, 72, tested positive for Covid-19 and had to be admitted to the intensive care unit on Jan 8.

He remained there for 12 days, fighting the disease that had attacked his lungs.

The authorities have also warned the public to be wary of such scams.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Zainuddin Yaacob said two police reports were lodged regarding a scam involving the sale of the Covid-19 vaccines involving losses amounting to RM285,499.

The government has said that the Covid-19 vaccines were provided for free.

The country kicked off its mass vaccination programme on Feb 24 with Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin being the first to be vaccinated.

There are three phases to the immunisation programme with frontliners being vaccinated in the first phase from February to April.

The second phase runs from April and August this year for high-risk groups and senior citizens aged 60 and above.

The rest of the Malaysian population, aged 18 and above, will be vaccinated in the third phase from May to February 2022.