Two Women Charged in Fake COVID Vaccination Card Scam

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 1, 2021 (HealthDay Information) — A woman who calls herself AntiVaxMomma on social media faces a selection of costs for offering faux COVID-19 vaccination cards, New York prosecutors stated Tuesday.

They allege that Jasmine Clifford, of Lyndhurst, N.J., bought about 250 bogus vaccination playing cards through her Instagram account in new months, the Involved Push reported.

Clifford delivered the bogus playing cards for $200 each to folks in the New York Metropolis region, including some workforce of hospitals and nursing residences, according to prosecutors.

They also explained that for an further $250, Clifford’s alleged co-conspirator, Nadayza Barkley, of Bellport, L.I., entered a phony card buyer’s identify into a New York Point out vaccination databases employed to verify vaccine position at venues such as sporting events and live shows, the AP described.

Barkley entered at least 10 names into the state’s vaccine databases even though performing at a Patchogue health care clinic, according to prosecutors.

Clifford was charged with giving a wrong instrument, prison possession of a solid instrument and conspiracy, and Barkley was charged with giving a false instrument and conspiracy.

13 alleged consumers of the fake cards were also billed, the AP documented.

Manhattan District Lawyer Cyrus Vance Jr. called on Facebook, which owns Instagram, and other tech companies to crack down on vaccine card cons, declaring in a statement that “the stakes are way too substantial to deal with faux vaccination cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions.”

Fb said that it prohibits any person from getting or offering COVID-19 vaccine playing cards and that it eradicated Clifford’s account in early August for breaking its policies.

“We will review any other accounts that may be carrying out the same issue,” the company mentioned in a written assertion. “We take pleasure in the DA’s do the job on this make a difference and will eliminate this content material every time we discover it.”

The sale of bogus vaccine cards is a growing worry as more spots need evidence of vaccination to perform, consume in places to eat, and take part in every day routines.

In May possibly, the operator of a Northern California bar was arrested soon after he allegedly marketed created-to-buy bogus COVID-19 vaccination playing cards for $20 each, the AP documented, and a naturopathic health practitioner in Northern California was arrested in June on rates she bought pretend COVID treatments and vaccination playing cards.

Two travelers were being arrested this month for allegedly working with pretend vaccine playing cards to journey into Hawaii, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has known as on federal legislation enforcement businesses to target on line sales of fake COVID vaccination cards, the AP reported.

Extra information and facts

Stop by the U.S. Centers for Disorder Handle and Avoidance for additional on COVID vaccines.

Source: Connected Push