A black market for fake vaccination registration cards is reaching epidemic proportions online.
Scammers have been removing the three-by-four-inch cards on commercial sites like eBay, Etsy and Shopify, as well as on social media Facebook and TikTok, the New York Times reported this week.
Meanwhile, The Post has found dozens of DIY guides online for printing fake vaccination cards at home.
Counterfeiting has risen in recent weeks following news that an official vaccination card could soon become a central requirement for traveling on airplanes and attending events.
And sellers and buyers are violating federal law by falsifying vaccine documents and fraudulently reproducing the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Center logo, which appears on the top right of each card.
Warning that counterfeiters are at risk of being prosecuted, the Federal Bureau of Investigation advises: vaccination information “.
“We recommend that you do not post photos of your vaccine card on social media websites,” the site warns.
According to Saoud Khalifah, the founder of Fakespot, which offers data analysis to help detect counterfeit items online, scammers have also sold fraudulent vaccine stamps.
“People post,‘ Do you want the Modern or do you want the Pfizer label? ’” He told The Post.
“The card dictates where you can go and what you can do,” he said.
“Some people may not want the vaccine, but they want to go somewhere. So, they will buy this fake vaccine card with a fake stamp and stick it by the system. It’s a shame. “
Meanwhile, 46 attorneys general have demanded on Twitter, eBay and Shopify that they take “immediate” action to monitor their platforms and “punctually” withdraw posts that sell fake cards.
In a statement to The Post, the global Etsy market said they were “removing the posts advertising the articles.”
And eBay told The Post that the company “is taking important steps to quickly block or remove items” that make false health claims or can be used to “falsely represent a person who has received the vaccine.”
In December, eBay removed or blocked approximately 50 million listings that violated its COVID-19-related policies, ranging from toilet paper and wipes to disinfectants to items that made false medical claims.