Ohio AG joins fight against fake COVID vaccination cards

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost joined a bipartisan group of 45 attorney generals concerned about the sale of fake CDC coronavirus vaccination cards.

Yost called on Twitter, eBay and Shopify to prevent people from selling the fake cards on their platforms.

“Fraudulent vaccine cards simply don’t have a place in the marketplace,” he said. “Vaccines are more readily available across Ohio than ever before – don’t fall into a deceptive trap when you could get the real thing with less effort.”

The bipartisan coalition is led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery. The group addressed concerns about the fraudulent cards in a letter to those companies’ CEOs.

People receive legitimate vaccine cards when they get a COVID vaccine. Some people are buying the fake vaccine cards with their own information so it appears that they’ve been vaccinated.

“These deceptive cards threaten the health of our communities, slow progress in getting people protected from the virus and violate many state laws,” read a release from Yost’s office.

In the letter sent to Twitter, eBay and Shopify, the attorneys general ask CEOs to do the following:

  • Monitor their platforms for ads or links selling blank or fraudulently-filled out vaccine cards.
  • Promptly take down ads or links selling the fake cards.
  • Keep records and information about the ads and people selling the cards.

To read the full letter, visit here.

About the Author