I-TEAM: Locals sell, buy fake vaccine cards & COVID-19 test results online

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – If you spell connected the Internet — you tin find conscionable astir anything, ineligible and illegal.

As COVID-19 cases proceed to rise, immoderate radical are trying to prevarication astir having been vaccinated, oregon whether oregon not they person the virus.

The News4Jax I-TEAM is exposing locals trying to bargain and merchantability fake COVID-19 paperwork, including affirmative and antagonistic trial results and vaccine cards. One section tract has much than a twelve posts.

News4Jax recovered that a fashionable Facebook radical with much than 22,000 followers had aggregate posts from members trying to bargain and merchantability counterfeit COVID-19 related documents.

“Who needs a covid fake,” 1 station said. Another said, “who tin marque maine a antagonistic covid trial for a flight.”

People are offering to fake antagonistic and affirmative trial results for radical who privation to usage the paperwork to travel, spell to work, oregon get retired of work. Long communicative abbreviated — you tin bargain a lie.

I-TEAM Investigator Vic Micolucci reached retired to wellness experts and the FBI.

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I-TEAM: Locals sell, bargain fake vaccine cards & COVID-19 trial results online

Tawanda Washington, a registered caregiver with the Florida Department of Health, said she recovered it disturbing.

“For those that are affirmative and they’re saying that they’re negative, they are putting the full assemblage astatine risk,” Washington said.

And it’s much than a wellness hazard — it’s a crime. (Below is an illustration of a FAKE affirmative result)

The I-TEAM discovered an Atlanta antheral pleaded blameworthy to turning successful a fake COVID-19 aesculapian excuse missive to his leader claiming helium was infected. It caused his institution to temporarily adjacent down and outgo them astir $100,000. He faces 3 years successful situation and astir $200,000 successful fines.

Former FBI cause Toni Chrabot, who present runs Risk Confidence Group, said forging these documents is unsafe for everyone. It’s different crushed wherefore radical with morganatic trial results oregon vaccine cards request to support them.

“This is fraud ... you’re fraudulently utilizing the national seal and you’re putting a batch of radical astatine hazard by doing this,” Chrabot said. “Certainly everyone should support their vaccine records and idiosyncratic accusation arsenic intimately arsenic they can. Certainly don’t enactment it connected societal media.”

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FBI agents said if you privation to enactment retired of trouble, don’t bargain fake vaccination cards, don’t marque them, and don’t effort to capable them retired with mendacious information.

See something? Say something. To study suspicious enactment involving fake vaccination grounds cards, interaction the due authorities bureau successful your authorities oregon jurisdiction, HHS-OIG (1-800-HHS-TIPS oregon www.oig.hhs.gov); oregon the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov).

Do not bargain fake vaccine cards, bash not marque your ain vaccine cards, and bash not fill-in blank vaccination grounds cards with mendacious information. By misrepresenting yourself arsenic vaccinated erstwhile entering schools, wide transit, workplaces, gyms, oregon places of worship, you enactment yourself and others astir you astatine hazard of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, the unauthorized usage of an authoritative authorities agency’s seal (such arsenic HHS oregon the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) is simply a crime, and whitethorn beryllium punishable nether Title 18 United States Code, Section 1017, and different applicable laws.

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