As fake COVID-19 vaccination cards circulate in online marketplaces and social media platforms, 45 attorneys general are calling on sites to crack down.
Ohio’s Dave Yost and Kentucky’s Daniel Cameron signed the letter with 43 other attorneys general, which was sent to the CEOs of Twitter, eBay and Shopify Thursday. They demand the sites take action to stop third-party sales of “blank or fraudulently completed COVID vaccine cards bearing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo."
People who are vaccinated against COVID-19 are given legitimate record cards by providers when they get their shot. But, people who buy fake or blank cards online can add their own information so it appears they have been vaccinated when they have not.
Officials say the fake cards are illegal in many states, threaten community health and slow "progress in getting our residents protected from the virus.”
“Fraudulent vaccine cards simply don’t have a place in the marketplace,” Yost said in a release Thursday. “Vaccines are more readily available across Ohio than ever before – don’t fall into a deceptive trap when you could get the real thing with less effort.”
The letter from the National Association of Attorneys General asks sites to monitor ads and links promoting the sale of fake vaccination cards and to promptly take them down. They also ask sites to keep records and information about the ads and the people who were selling fake cards.
Read the full letter here.
