Traveller using fake vaccine card busted over glaring error
A woman has been arrested for allegedly faking her vaccination card to travel interstate.
Chloe Mrozak, 24, from the US state of Illinois, was nabbed in Hawaii on Sunday, HawaiiNewsNow.com reports.
It did not help that authorities noticed a glaring error on Mrozak’s form either.
In the two sections where Mrozak was asked to disclose the manufacturer of the vaccine she had, it reads: “Maderna”, a misspelling of “Moderna”.
Authorities also checked in with the state she claimed she got her vaccination in and there was no record of her receiving one.
She has been arrested and charged with falsifying vaccination documents.
It is a concern widely-held in the US currently that people are using fake vaccination documents to enter venues.
Across the internet, a cottage industry has sprung up to accommodate people who say they won’t get vaccinated for either personal or religious reasons.
An Instagram account is selling laminated Covid-19 vaccination cards for A$34 each. A user on the encrypted messaging app, Telegram, offers “Covid-19 Vaccine Cards Certificates,” for as much as $270 apiece.
Radio host who called himself 'Mr Anti-Vax' dies from Covid-19
'Slap in the face': Backlash over surprise lockdown rule change
They are also being used for travel. US Customs and Border Protection officers seized a crate from China in August containing thousands of them.
“The cards have blanks for the recipient’s name and birthdate, the vaccine maker, lot number, and date and place the shot was given, as well as the Center for Disease Control (CDC) logo in the upper right corner,” customs said in a statement.
“However, there were typos, unfinished words, and some of the Spanish verbiage on the back was misspelled.”
The FBI has also warned against people buying and selling them.
“Vaccination record cards are intended to provide recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine with information about the type of vaccine they received, and when they may be able to receive a second dose of the vaccine,” the FBI said in a statement.
“If you did not receive the vaccine, do not buy fake vaccine cards, do not make your own vaccine cards, and do not fill-in blank vaccination record cards with false information. By misrepresenting yourself as vaccinated when entering schools, mass transit, workplaces, gyms, or places of worship, you put yourself and others around you at risk of contracting Covid-19.”
Woman arrested for 'selling 250 fake cards'
A New Jersey woman has also been charged for allegedly selling fraudulent cards
It’s alleged Jasmine Clifford, 31, who uses the Instagram handle 'AntiVaxMomma' put people in touch with Nadayza Barkley, 27, who worked at a medical office, to obtain vaccination cards for $270, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. For an additional $340, it’s alleged their names could be added to a vaccination database.
It’s alleged Clifford sold 250 of them and more than 10 people were fraudulently entered into the New York State Immunisation Information System.
“Thirteen individuals who purchased the cards — all of whom are believed to work in frontline and essential-employee settings, including hospitals and nursing homes – were also charged,” the DA’s office said.
Clifford and Barkley were charged in a Criminal Court complaint with Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree.
Clifford also received a charge of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree.
with the Associated Press
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
