Politics
FBI warns DON’T buy fake Covid vaccine cards to avoid getting the shot
THE FBI has warned Americans against buying fake Covid-19 vaccine cards to avoid getting the shot.
The bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, IC3.gov, issued a stern warning about online scams offering fake vaccine cards for sale or encouraging people to print them at home.
The FBI has warned people against trying to make or buy fake Covid vaccine cards[/caption]
People who get the vaccine are given record cards[/caption]
“Fake vaccination record cards have been advertised on social media websites as well as ecommerce platforms and blogs,” the warning states.
“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.
“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,” it continues.
The FBI‘s warning goes on to point out that by misrepresenting yourself as vaccinated in order to enter public, possibly crowded, spaces, you are putting yourself and others at risk.
If you have not gotten the vaccine, don’t try to fake it, the FBI warned[/caption]
About 34 percent of the US population is currently fully vaccinated[/caption]
Unauthorized use of an official government seal — like those of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — is also a crime and could result in charges, the warning says.
Since the country began vaccinating Americans and handing out vaccine cards, reports have emerged that faking the records are popular topics on conspiracy theory, pro-Trump, and anti-vaxxer forums.
The US is currently dealing with a new type of supply and demand problem.
While vaccines were once coveted and restricted to certain particularly at-risk members of the population, they are now widely available across the country.
Many states are seeing a dwindling demand, either because people who have not been vaccinated don’t know how to get a jab or because those people are hesitant about the vaccine.
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As of this weekend, about 112.6million people, roughly 34 percent of the population, were fully vaccinated.
Still, some states are now asking for their vaccine shipments to be reduced — sometimes significantly — as they’ve been left with surplusses.
North Carolina reduced vaccine deliveries by 40 percent last week, Connecticut asked for just 26 percent of its regular delivery and South Carolina asked for just 21 percent, according to the New York Times.
