Inspectors in Anchorage recently discovered more than 3,000 counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards in a shipment from China to Alaska, according to a written statement from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency Thursday.
The blank cards closely resemble those printed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and given to individuals receiving one of the COVID-19 vaccines, CBP said.
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In some circumstances, the cards are used to verify a person’s vaccination status, as may be required to attend an event, like a concert. Counterfeit cards are increasingly becoming a problem around the country, according to CBP.
“Getting these fraudulent cards off the streets and out of the hands of those who would then sell them is important for the safety of the American public,” Lance Robinson, Area Port Director of the Area Port of Anchorage, said in the statement.
CBP noted that unauthorized use of a government agency’s official seal is a crime.
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him atcgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Caseyhere.
