Interpol has issued a global alert to the law enforcement agencies across its 194-member countries warning them to prepare for organized crime networks targeting COVID-19 vaccines, both physically and online.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Interpol, which is headquartered in France said that its orange notice outlines potential criminal activity in relation to the "falsification, theft and illegal advertising of COVID-19 and flu vaccines", with the pandemic having already triggered unprecedented opportunistic and predatory criminal behaviour.