coronavirus

Fake Vaccination Cards Raising Concerns at Businesses, Institutions

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As more businesses and institutions require proof of vaccination, some people are looking for fake vaccination cards to get by.

But making or using the phony cards are federal offenses, punishable by up to five years in prison and a hefty fine.

Officials at hundreds of California colleges and universities, where proof of vaccination is required, are concerned about the use of fake vaccination cards after many students surveyed by the Associated Press said they knew people using the counterfeit cards.

But people also are using them as a means to get into bars and other establishments requiring vaccines, frustrating those business owners who are just trying to keep their employees and patrons safe.

"We are seeing some fake vax cards, and I will say this: If you are that much of a numb nuts that you go out of your way to make a fake vax card rather than taking free miracle drug that will make you 99 times less likely to go to the hospital, that’s between you and your maker," said Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco Bar Alliance.

In July, a Napa woman was arrested and charged for allegedly providing her clients legitimate vaccination cards with instructions on how to fake them to look as if they'd received two doses of the Moderna vaccine.

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