COVID-19 cases surge as do sales of fake vaccination cards – around $100 for something you could get free

2021-08-12 10:33

Since March, there's been a 257 per cent increase in the number of sellers using the Telegram messaging app to advertise fake vaccination cards to "Those who do not want to take the vaccine," according to security biz Check Point.

The company said there are now more than 2,500 groups on Telegram trying to sell fake vaccination certificates.

As anti-vaccine groups have grown, the price of fake vaccination cards has dropped, from $200 in March to about half that today.

Google Trends, a measure of search keyword volume, also shows an uptick in the search query "Fake vaccine card" in the US. "We have mostly presented certificates being sold from the US, UK and Germany," said Check Point in a blog post that shows images of various phony vaccination cards.

Back in May, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that fake vaccine cards are illegal and harm Californians, echoing a similar admonition from the FBI in March.

In May, the beverage agency arrested a bar owner in Clements for allegedly selling fake vaccine cards.

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