Sales of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards on rise in US

Fake COVID-19 vaccination cards are increasingly for sale in the United States, as some unvaccinated Americans find illegal ways to gain access to everyday activities and events in cities like New York and San Francisco that have issued vaccine mandates.

The cards are easy to find for anyone with a smartphone who downloads the Telegram messaging app account and has cryptocurrency. They cost about $100 to $250 each, but many are sold for less, according to Check Point, a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity company.

"Our researchers now see an exponential growth in volumes of followers and subscribers to groups and channels offering and advertising COVID19 certifications and other means to bypass the need to physically get the vaccine while enjoying the benefits of the vaccinated population. These benefits might include boarding planes, accessing cultural and crowded events, getting work, etc.," Check Point Research said.

The US Health and Human Services Department said it had uncovered more than 20,000 websites offering the cards since the beginning of the pandemic.

The FBI said it has seen a marked increase in the number of fake cards and negative COVID-19 test results for sale on social media sites this year.

"If you did not receive the vaccine, do not buy fake vaccine cards, do not make your own vaccine cards, and do not fill in blank vaccination record cards with false information," the agency warned.

"By misrepresenting yourself as vaccinated when entering schools, mass transit, workplaces, gyms, or places of worship, you put yourself and others around you at risk of contracting COVID-19."

The counterfeit cards used to be only accessible on the web to people willing to install encryption software to make transactions on untrustworthy sites. But the technology is now much more accessible and can be found on WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and eBay.

Members of Telegram groups that offer the fake vaccination cards for sale have seen their followers increase 566 percent since early 2021, according to CBS News.

On Instagram, dozens of pages with names such as "Covid19vaccinecardsss" can be found. The cards expertly mimic the look of the official vaccination record card issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a person is vaccinated.

Some hackers get into hospital databases to change digital records to make it appear that an unvaccinated person is vaccinated, according to Fakespot, an app that identifies fakes and counterfeits online.

The popularity of fake vaccine cards has been growing as a number of cities, businesses, employers, schools and universities have issued vaccine mandates.

In New York, residents have been required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine card since Aug 16 to eat in restaurants or go to cinemas, gyms and live performances. The mandate will be enforced by the city starting Sept 13. The initiative is dubbed the "Key to NYC Pass".

More than 64 percent of New Yorkers have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the city.

San Francisco put a vaccine mandate in place for bars, restaurants, clubs and gyms on Aug 20.

At least 73.7 percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. But some Americans remain hesitant to get vaccinated.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has called for the federal government to crack down on vaccination card counterfeiters.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein wrote, along with 45 other attorneys general across the nation, a letter to the CEOs of Twitter, eBay and Shopify urging them to clean up their platforms.

"Take immediate action to prevent your platforms from being used as a vehicle to commit these fraudulent and deceptive acts," Stein wrote.

Authorities at airports are clamping down on the use of fake cards.

Miami, Florida, residents Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, were arrested and charged on Aug 11 with falsifying a COVID-19 vaccine card and submitting fake documents for their two children to travel to Hawaii, according to Hawaii's attorney general's office.

"Falsifying a vaccination card carries a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year," said Hawaii Governor David Ige.