NEW YORK (AP) – A New Jersey woman posing as AntiVaxMomma on Instagram sold several hundred fake COVID-19 vaccination cards for $ 200 per dollar to New York City jab evaders, including people who they worked in hospitals and residences,.
For an additional $ 250, a second scammer would enter the name of a counterfeit card buyer into a New York State vaccination database, which feeds the systems used to verify the status of the vaccine in the places they require, such as concerts and sporting events, prosecutors said.
Jasmine Clifford, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, was charged Tuesday with offering a counterfeit instrument, taking criminal possession of a counterfeit instrument and conspiring. Authorities say he sold about 250 fake vaccine cards in recent months.
Clifford’s alleged conspirator, Nadayza Barkley, of Bellport, Long Island, filed no lawsuit or complaint Tuesday morning in Manhattan criminal court accused of offering a false instrument and conspiracy.
Prosecutors say Barkley entered at least ten names into the state’s vaccine database while working at a Patchogue medical clinic and received payments for his work from Clifford through Zelle and CashApp services.
Online court records do not list Clifford or Barkley attorneys who could comment.
Thirteen alleged card buyers were also charged, including a man who has been accused of paying to be entered into the database. Actual COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. asked Facebook, owner of Instagram, and other tech companies to reproduce vaccine card scammers, and said in a statement that “bets are too high for dealing with fake vaccination cards with grinding processes. ”
Facebook said it bans anyone from buying or selling COVID-19 vaccine cards and that it withdrew its Clifford account in early August for violating its rules.
“We will review any other accounts that may do the same,” the company said in a written statement. “We appreciate the DA’s work on this issue and will remove this content whenever we find it.”
According to prosecutors, Clifford, a self-described online businessman, began processing vaccination cards against counterfeit disease control and prevention centers through his Instagram account AntiVaxMomma in May.
A New York State police investigator who became aware of the scam a few weeks later tried to contact Clifford to request a fake card and have it added to the state’s vaccine database, according to van say the prosecutors.
In July, the researcher reported, he received a package containing a CDV COVID-19 vaccination card with the name and date of birth he provided and a screenshot of the cell phone showing that the information he provided it had also been added to the state database.
The proliferation of fake vaccine cards is a growing concern, as there are more places that require vaccination tests to work, eat at restaurants, and participate in day-to-day activities like going to the gym or watching a movie. In New York City, this term is already in effect, and its execution is scheduled to begin on September 13th.
All the teachers of the public schools and the rest of the staff of the city they are required to receive the first dose of vaccination before Sept. 27, while the state has said it needs vaccines for health workers. Other city employees should be vaccinated or tested weekly for the virus.
Colleges and universities that require COVID-19 vaccination tests for students to attend face-to-face classes have raised concerns about easy availability of Fraudulent Vaccine Cards Through Online Vendors
In May, the owner of a Northern California bar was arrested after authorities said he sold fake COVID-19 vaccination cards to order for $ 20 each.
In June, a naturist in Northern California was arrested on charges of selling fake COVID-19 treatments and vaccination cards.
This month, after the arrest of two tourists for allegedly using fake vaccine cards to travel to Hawaii, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., called on federal law enforcement agencies to direct online sales of fake vaccination cards against COVID-19 and start a campaign by making it clear that forge them it could land people in federal prison.