Attorney General joins fight against sale of fake vaccination cards

RICHMOND (April 2, 2021) – Attorney General Mark R. Herring today called on Twitter, eBay, and Shopify to act immediately to prevent people from selling fraudulent CDC vaccination cards on their platforms. Attorney General Herring joins a bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general in raising concerns about the public health risks of these fake cards in a letter to the companies’ CEOs.

“Getting vaccinated is one of the most important things a Virginian can do to help us all get back to normal and get the COVID pandemic under control,” said Attorney General Herring. “Individuals who purchase fraudulent vaccine cards and go out into our communities pretending to be vaccinated could be detrimental to our efforts to curb the pandemic and put the safety of others at risk. It’s important that these companies and platforms crack down on the sale of these fake vaccination cards to make sure our communities are safe, and we remain on the right track in combating the COVID pandemic.”

Legitimate vaccination cards are given by providers when they administer the vaccine. People who buy fake cards can have their own information added to the card or add it in themselves, so it appears they have been vaccinated when they have not. These deceptive cards threaten the health of our communities, slow progress in getting people protected from the virus, and violate many state laws.

In their letter, Attorney General Herring and his colleagues ask the CEOs to:
• Monitor their platforms for ads or links selling blank or fraudulently completed vaccination cards
• Promptly take down ads or links that are selling cards
• Preserve records and information about the ads and the people who were selling them

Joining Attorney General Herring in sending the letter are the attorneys general of Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.