Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Card Scam In MD: What You Should Know

MARYLAND — A new scam tied to the coronavirus pandemic is targeting Marylanders online, and the state's top cop is warning residents.

Some people may be tempted to buy fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but the FBI warns that it's illegal, as well as dangerous. In some cases, thieves are using the images people have posted on social media of their Centers for Disease Control-issued vaccinations cards to sell them online.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh on Wednesday warned residents not to share photos of their card.

"Reminder: Do not post a copy of your #VaccineCard online," Frosh tweeted. "This card has your full name, date of birth, and where and when you got the vaccine. Thieves can use the information on your card to steal your personal information and commit fraud."

The FBI has begun investigating a growing trend of online retailers and individuals touting fake vaccination cards for sale, as well as posts encouraging people to print their own cards at home, according to a statement. In addition to violating federal law, the fake cards may put people's health ask risk if an unvaccinated person misrepresents themselves as having protection against the coronavirus.

"When entering schools, mass transit, workplaces, gyms, or places of worship, you put yourself and others around you at risk of contracting COVID-19," the FBI said.

Listings for fake or blank vaccination cards bearing the CDC logo have popped up on sites such as Twitter, eBay and Shopify. More than two dozen attorneys general from across the United States sent a letter to the retailers April 1 asking for immediate action from the platforms to prevent them from being used as a "vehicle to commit these fraudulent deceptive acts that harm our communities."

Frosh and 45 other state attorneys general recently issued a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke, and eBay CEO Jamie Iannone regarding the fake vaccination cards being marketed on their platforms.

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In the letter, the attorneys general called on the tech companies to crack down on the marketing of misinformation and fake vaccination cards.

"We are deeply concerned about this use of your platforms to spread false and misleading information regarding COVID vaccines," the letter reads. "The false and deceptive marketing and sales of fake COVID vaccine cards threatens the health of our communities, slows progress in getting our residents protected from the virus, and are a violation of the laws of many states."

The AGs called for a response by Friday from the CEOs.

The companies have said any such postings violate their sites' terms of service and are actively being removed, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

A Twitter spokesperson told the paper it prioritizes the "removal of high-severity violations that could potentially cause real-world harm" including misleading information about COVID-19.

A Shopify spokesman told the Chronicle the site has been "proactively monitoring" for any illegal sale of COVID-19 vaccines cards since February and has acted swiftly to remove them.

An eBay spokeswoman also told the paper it has been working with the Food and Drug Administration to monitor its site for listings involving the COVID-19 vaccines and have removed roughly 50 million listings that violated the company's policies.