On Thursday, Apr. 8, a sudden surge in the number of fake COVID-19 vaccines and fake vaccine cards reached epidemic proportions on social platforms dealing with scammers exploiting the pandemic anxiety. These cards are being offered in outlets such as Facebook and eBay, along with many others. These sites have begun shutting down these operations so that these cards do not get sold.
Sudden Surge Of fake COVID-19 Cards
According to a post in NewYorkTimes, the C.D.C. has stated that counterfeit Covid-19 vaccine cards have been reported. Therefore, individuals are urged not to submit images of their personal information or vaccine cards on social media.
Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Shopify, and Etsy disallowed these items' sales and took down posts advertising them.
The rapid rise in the number of fake vaccination cards led 46 attorneys general to call on Twitter, Shopify, and eBay to take "immediate" action against the trend. The letter urged the companies to monitor their users' content and "promptly" takedown posts selling fake cards.
In December 2020, the C.D.C. introduced vaccination cards, describing them as the "easiest" way to keep track of COVID-19 vaccinations. By January of this year, sales of counterfeit vaccination cards started to increase. Many people found that it was pretty easy to forge the cards based on sample cards available online. The actual cards were also stolen by pharmacists from their workplaces and sold.
The cards were purchased by many people who did not support vaccination with the Covid-19 vaccine. In some anti-vaccine groups on Facebook, people boasted about getting the cards.
Some buyers intend to use the cards to get a vaccination from their pharmacists. Since some vaccines involve a two-shot sequence, people may use a false date on a vaccination card to make it appear as though they require a second dose soon. Some pharmacies and state vaccination sites give different priorities to individuals who need their second vaccination.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Lionell Moore
