AG Tong Joins Coalition Fighting Sales Of Fake Vaccine Cards

Press release from AG Tong's Office:

April 8, 2021

Attorney General William Tong today called on Twitter, eBay, and Shopify to act immediately to prevent people from selling fraudulent CDC vaccination cards on their platforms. A bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general, led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery, raised 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 you can do to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19, but it’s also an open door for scammers,” Attorney General Tong said. “We need big companies like Twitter, eBay, and Shopify to take immediate action to stop the sale of fraudulent vaccination cards. These cards pose a threat to the health and safety of people in Connecticut and unchecked could extend the length and severity of the COVID-19 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, the attorneys general 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.

Attorney General Tong is joined in sending this letter by the Attorneys General of North Carolina, Tennessee, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, 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 Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

A copy of the letter is available here.

This press release was produced by AG Tong's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.