Philadelphia CBP Intercepts Fake COVID Vax Card – One of 30K Seized Nationally

On Saturday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were conducting routine international parcel inspections for dangerous, illegal, or prohibited products when they encountered an obviously counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination card.

CBP officers immediately noted the vaccination card’s poor print quality, unclear logos of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS), and uneven borders. While fake vaccination cards are selling for as much as $200, the CDC reminds people that an actual vaccination is free.

The fake vaccination card was shipped from Bulgaria to an address in Stamford, Conn. Officers discovered the card was concealed inside of a greeting card which was inside of a shipping envelope. The contents were manifested as “documents.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP officers across the nation have seized more than 30,000 counterfeit coronavirus vaccination cards from nearly 1,200 seizures. Locally, the Baltimore Field Office, which includes the Area Port of Philadelphia, has seized a combined 1,520 fake vax cards from 41 seizures.

Unvaccinated individuals who purchase fake vaccination cards put themselves, their loved ones, and their fellow Americans at risk of contracting COVID-19 or its more serious variants. The FBI has warned the public that buying, selling, or using counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards also breaks our nation’s laws.