Pennsylvania attorney general warns of ‘dangerous’ market for false vaccination cards

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) is warning the public about the “dangerous” market of people selling fake vaccination cards.

“We’re seeing a huge market for these false cards online,” Shapiro said, according to The New York Times. “This is a dangerous practice that undermines public health.”

Fake vaccination cards first appeared online and picked up traction in January on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, eBay and Etsy.

Saoud Khalifah, the founder of Fakespot, told The New York Times that some cards are being obtained by those who don’t want to get the vaccine and others are getting the cards in order to trick pharmacies into giving them their shot.

A person will write on the fake card that they received their first coronavirus shot so a pharmacy will be obligated to give them the second dose. Two out of the three vaccines approved in the U.S. require two shots.

“We want to see them stop immediately,” Shapiro said about those selling the fake cards. “And we want to see the companies take serious and immediate action.”

The fake vaccination cards could violate federal copyright laws, state laws involving impersonation, and civil and consumer protection laws, Shapiro said.

The fake vaccination cards are also gaining traction as states debate creating “vaccine passports” or requiring proof of vaccination to enter certain venues.

Many Republican states have already banned the use of vaccine passports and the Biden administration has said vaccine passports won’t be implemented federally.

The Hill has reached out to Shapiro’s office for comment.