PHOENIX — Fake vaccine cards are apparently being sold online in plain sight, through websites like Craigslist.
Searching for terms like "vax" on Craigslist turns up multiple listings for products like roof racks and car parts. But the connected photos are of vaccination cards.
12 News texted one number to ask about the advertised vaccine proof cards. According to the person on the other end, the cards sell for $150 each. The person also claimed that they would pass inspection and are "registered" with the CDC.
However, the person also requested personal information like a name and date of birth. They even texted pictures of the supposed vaccine cards.
"All our cards are registered under the CDC databases system," the person texted.
There is no CDC database. The federal government does not track COVID or any other kind of vaccinations. Some states have digital vaccination tracking systems in various stages, but there is no uniform database.
"Are they legit? There is absolutely no way of knowing," Brian Linder with Check Point Research said.
Check Point Research is a cybersecurity firm that recently went hunting for fake vaccine card sellers on the Dark Web. Soon, however, they found they didn't need to search in the shadows.
The sellers were coming out in the open on more reputable sites.
When President Biden announced a vaccine mandate for businesses with more than 100 employees, Linder said demand skyrocketed.
"We went and saw a huge spike in both the number of sellers and then the number of people participating in these in these markets," Linder said.
Fake vaccination cards are being discovered across the country.
In Cincinnati, Customs and Border Protection agents found more than 1,600 fake vaccination cards shipped through the Port of Cincinnati. Agents also found more than 2,000 fake Pfizer vaccination stickers that are placed on the cards.
According to the FBI, creating or carrying a fake vaccination card is a crime.
Earlier this month, police arrested a 26-year-old tourist in Hawaii after she allegedly presented a fake vaccination card with the word "Moderna" misspelled.
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