COVID scam makes everyone a victim
In most cases involving scams, it’s easy to feel sympathy for consumers. In this case, however, “consumer” is not the same as “victim.” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has joined counterparts across the nation to try to thwart the sale of faux COVID-19 vaccination cards being sold across the country.
It’s not a con akin to someone posing as a lottery official, or long lost relative, or foreign government official.
This is more like a high schooler buying a fuzzy driver’s license in the hope of scoring some booze. But even that comparison doesn’t leave countless people vulnerable to being victimized.
Tong and 44 other attorneys general signed a letter to chief executives at Twitter, eBay and Shopify pressing them to block advertisements for the faux cards. They gave them an April 9 deadline to remove links that sell the cards and preserve records.
It might seem relatively harmless, but this isn’t like someone pretending to participate in democracy by wearing an “I Voted” sticker.
The cards may not mean much right now, but in the months to come, they could be used to pass through entrances that might otherwise remain closed to the unvaccinated as restrictions are lifted.
“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,” Tong wrote in a statement. “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.”
The FBI connected the dots in a statement, pointing out that users would be misrepresenting themselves in using the cards to enter “schools, mass transit, workplaces, gyms, or places of worship.”
Not only would such action put others at risk, the FBI statement noted, but it would represent illegal use of an official government seal, as the bogus cards bear the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The FBI was even more blunt in stressing that “if you make or buy a fake COVID-19 vaccination record card ... you are breaking the law.”
They are doing much more than that. The painful irony is that consumers of the cards are paying for something they can get for free. All they have to do is get a shot.
But the act of bearing fake cards while avoiding shots by COVID deniers or people fearful of needles is much more vile than refusing to wear a mask in a supermarket. The absence of a mask reveals them. Pretending to have gotten the shots is a license to share COVID.
If you have a legitimate card, this is a good reminder to keep it secure. If you’re still tempted to order a fake one, keep in mind that con artists can’t be counted on to deliver the goods.
But the act of bearing fake cards while avoiding shots by COVID deniers or people fearful of needles is much more vile than refusing to wear a mask in a supermarket. The absence of a mask reveals them.