Mandates boost trade in fake vaccination cards

Fake COVID-19 vaccination cards are on the rise in the United States as more unvaccinated people find illegal ways to gain access to everyday activities and events in cities with vaccine mandates like New York and San Francisco.

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

"Our researchers now see an exponential growth in volumes of followers and subscribers to groups and channels offering and advertising COVID-19 certifications and other means to bypass the need to physically get the vaccine while enjoying the benefits of the vaccinated population," Check Point's research unit said. "These benefits might include boarding planes, accessing cultural and crowded events, getting work, etc."

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 accessible on the web only 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 follower numbers 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, or CDC, after a person is vaccinated.

Digital records hacked

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 is growing as a number of cities, businesses, employers, schools and universities have issued vaccine mandates.

In New York, residents were required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine card since Aug 16 to eat in restaurants, and go to movies, gyms and performances. The mandate will be enforced by the city from 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 city data.

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

At least 73 percent of adults in the US have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. But some people remain hesitant.

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