LAFAYETTE, La., (KLFY) — As millions more people continue to be vaccinated across the country on a daily basis, some are choosing not to receive the vaccine.
With the possibility of travel restrictions being put in place for those without the vaccine, some are turning to buying and selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.
“There are websites that are being created to sell fake vaccine cards to look like the CDC cards that some people are opting to pay for, instead of actually getting the vaccine,” Chris Babin with the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana said.
Officials are now warning against people posting and sharing their vaccine information on social media.
“We would caution people against that because your personal information is on that card and not share it because things you put on social media isn’t as protected as you might think,” Babin said.
It’s also possible to be scammed when trying to buy a fake vaccination card, according to Babin.
“Your personal identifiable information could end up in the hands of a scammer because they might need that information to fill out your “fake vaccine card” and also you’re going to have to pay for it, so that financial information can be taken by the scammer,” he said.
At KLFY, we asked our team to recreate a fake vaccination card. Within 15 minutes, we were able to recreate a fake vaccination card. Since other people had posted their vaccine information online like the lot number, product name, and clinic site, it only had to be copied over.
A Florida man was recently fired from his job for selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, according to media outlets.
We also reached out to the Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office to see if charges could be pursued against those who forge or use these documents.
A statement was issued saying they are aware of the situation, and at this time, they have not received any reports of this occurring here. However, other states are seeing a growing trend in people doing so.
While we have not received a response from Landry regarding whether or not this could be punishable by law, according to Louisiana statues, this could be considered forgery.
Forgery is considered to be a felony crime which can be punishable in both fines and up to ten years in prison.