By Hadassa Kalatizadeh
On Sunday, Sen. Chuck Schumer called on the federal government to crack down on the sale of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards. He urged the feds to make known that “dumb” people purchasing the fake inoculation documentation risk strict consequences including spending time in jail. “I am urging a federal crackdown on these counterfeit COVID cards and [the start of] an education campaign to make it clear to the American people that this is illegal, you could actually go to prison for buying these,” Schumer (D- NY) said at a press conference in Manhattan. “There are now people manufacturing and selling fake COVID cards, even though it’s a crime.
“The Feds have to step up their efforts to ameliorate this problem before it gets worse,” said Schumer, the Senate’s majority leader. “The Department of Justice must ensure that fraud cases are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
As reported by the NY Post, Schumer said it’s baffling that unvaccinated people would rather pay money for phony cards, when they can easily and conveniently get vaccinated for free— and in some cases, such as in New York City, even get paid to receive the inoculation. “Some people, rather than get the vaccine, which is free, are paying money for a fake card and risking prosecution because it’s against the law,” Schumer said. “Who could be that dumb?” Schumer recommended that the federal government launch an “education campaign”, to inform Americans the consequences and possible prison time awaiting people who sell, purchase or use the phony cards.
Schumer’s call follows news that charlatans are running rampant with the sale of the counterfeit COVID-19 cards, which is already a crime, as per the FBI. In fact, more than three thousand fake COVID-19 vaccination cards from China have been seized in the past year by Customs and Border Patrol officers in Memphis, Tennessee, as per the agency.
Proof of the COVID-19 vaccination, in the form of an inoculation card, will be required as of September for entry to New York City venues, including indoor dining, movie theatres and gyms, as per an announcement by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Aug. 4.
“Here we are going to great lengths to let people go back to their activities at restaurants, at sports stadiums, at gatherings, at clubs, with the idea that if you show the card it’s OK,” Schumer said. “If fake cards become an epidemic, then people will no longer feel safe to gather at these places, and we will hurt our economy, as well.”
