Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is urging online shopping and social media sites to crack down on the sale of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.
Ford said fraudsters are taking advantage of the pandemic and the fake cards are “an illegal way to say you have been vaccinated and could put our entire health and safety plan at risk.”
Ford joined 45 other state attorneys general in sending letters asking the CEOs of Twitter, eBay and Shopify to monitor their platforms for ads or links to purchase fake cards. They asked the sites to remove the information and and preserve records about the sellers.
Fake cards are selling from $20 to $250, according to reports from internet security companies.
The information on the vaccine cards includes the name of the drug manufacturer, the vaccine lot number and the date administered.
The FBI released a statement urging people not to buy fake vaccination cards, noting the unauthorized use of a government seal is illegal.
“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,” the statement said. “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.”