Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford on Monday urged a number of online marketplace companies to act immediately to prevent the sale of fraudulent or blank COVID-19 vaccination cards on their platforms.
He said scammers have been promoting fake virus cures online for most of the past year but now the emphasis has shifted to selling fake vaccination cards.
He emphasized that making and selling phony cards is illegal and will be prosecuted in Nevada.
Most recently, he called on OfferUp, an online mobile marketplace, to shut down those who are selling cards on their platform.
Ford said the problem is the cards appear real, even sporting the logos for the Centers for Disease Control and Health Department.
For those selling the cards, he said the charges would depend on how many cards with some one selling one or two cards treated differently from an operation selling a thousand cards.
He said using a fake card is also a violation although he said his office is still working out exactly what charges would be filed.
He said people should be on the lookout for suspicious conduct by an alleged vaccinator such as charging for a card. He said the cards are free from legitimate sources.
Ford said attorneys general from 41 states and territories signed a letter to operators of those online platforms urging them to monitor the platform for ads and links selling cards, promptly taken them down and preserve information about who those people selling cards are.
Anyone witnessing suspicious conduct should report it to his office at ag.nv.gov and file a complaint. He said using a fake card threatens the health of Nevadans and delays the ability of the state to protect people from the virus and opens the person using the phony card to potential damages from business operators among others.
Ford also warned people against posting pictures of their vaccination card online pointing out that the card has sensitive personal information on it including the person’s birthdate. He said anyone who has posted a picture of their vaccination card should take it down immediately.
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