The FBI said earlier this year, '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.' Authorities have been warning about the rise in pandemic-related fraud for months.įake vaccine cards not only have a negative impact on public health, the FBI said, but they're against the law - unauthorized use of an official government agency's seal can be punished with a fine or up to five years in prison. 'In this case, we have removed the items and taken action on the bad actors involved in bypassing our controls.'Įtsy didn't immediately respond to NPR's requests for comment.Ī black market for fake vaccination cards has grown in the waning days of the pandemic in the U.S. We have proactive measures in place to prevent prohibited products from being listed and we continuously monitor our store,' an Amazon spokesperson said in an email to NPR. 'We do not allow the products in question in our store.
Other vendors selling fake vaccine cards have cropped up on Etsy, an e-commerce site focusing on handmade and vintage items on pro-Trump forums and on the dark web, according to recent reports.