FBI Investigates Sale of Fake Vaccination Cards -

WARNING ABOUT DANGERS OF BUYING ILLEGAL DOCUMENTS

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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Federal agencies and state prosecutors across the country reiterated the warning about the dangers and consequences of buying fake Covid-19 vaccination cards online at a cost of hundreds of dollars. Incurring in the purchase of these false documents has a negative impact on the health of the population and on the identity of those involved.

According to the FBI, its agents are already investigating various online platforms that offer fake cards, based on the fact that so far there is no federal system to authenticate the validity of these cards. “This facilitates the actions of the scammers who produce these cards,” the FBI statement said.

The agency also stresses that, “The trend to buy these cards continues to grow.” On March 30, the FBI had already requested, “Do not buy false vaccination cards, nor fill out authentic cards with false information,” of those who had not been vaccinated.

The Crime

Since these cards are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falsifying them constitutes the unauthorized use of official stamps, a criminal act under Title 18 , section 1017 of the American penal code.

According to the FBI, people search for these fake cards for a variety of reasons, such as entering schools, using public transportation, or congregating in churches. The agency also asserts that falsification so is not only a crime, but that it also endangers the health of those who assume that the person who bought the card has already been vaccinated.

Prosecutors Act

With this context, Connecticut Attorney General Phil Weiser joined a coalition of 45 other state prosecutors led by John Stein of North Carolina and Herbert Slatery of Tennessee, calling for federal intervention to stop the sale of fake cards on Twitter, eBay, and Shopify.

“Fake cards are a danger to public health,” Weiser said, adding that the aforementioned platforms “must take immediate action” to prevent the fraud from continuing. For his part, Dr. Iván Sosa, in charge of an immigrant and refugee health aid project in Aurora, Colorado, lashed out at those who buy the fake cards.