Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP via Getty Images). / Getty Images
A woman from New Jersey, along with 14 more people were accused of belonging to a network of scammers , falsifying and selling proof of vaccination against the Covid – 19.
The woman who called herself the “AntiVaxMomma”, named Jasmine Clifford, sold some 250 false proof of vaccination through his Instagram account in which he used as a user the name “MamáAntiVacuna” in English.
Each fake vaccination card had a cost of $ 200 dollars and described herself on her Instagram profile as a “businesswoman with various businesses.”
The New Jersey woman had a main accomplice , a woman named Nadayza Barkley, of 27 years, who the helped He was going to fraudulently enter the names of the people, who bought the false receipt, in the New York State database of vaccinated people. Action for which he was charging $ 250 dollars more.
New York is one of the states in the territory that requires a “bovine passport” so that people have access to certain places such as restaurants, bars and theaters, gyms and other closed spaces.
This measure is to increase the vaccination rate in the Big Apple and will take effect in the middle of this month of September with the return to classes and the return of the majority of workers to his physical workspace.
For that a state initiative was created called “Excelsior Pass ”that offers digital proof of being vaccinated. And it does so through a QR code so that users can download it to their mobile phone through an app and show it whenever it is required.
But the scammers weren’t the only ones to be charged, the people who bought the fake vouchers . It is striking that the majority were workers in hospitals or nursing homes.
Another aspect that has set off the alarms is that this type of fraud is being done through social networks. In this sense, the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance, said that it is necessary for “companies such as Facebook and others to prevent the occurrence of fraud on their platforms.”
The New York prosecutor also warned that falsifying vaccination records is a serious crime with very serious consequences for public health.
But in New York it is not the only place where this type of voucher is being falsified, critics allege that “it is very easy to do it, so they do not see the need to demand it ”. In mid-August, the US Customs department noted that its officers in Memphis have to date seized at least 3, 000 false proof of vaccination.
Meanwhile, New York accentuates its demand for such proof, for example, teachers and public school employees must be vaccinated by the start of classes.
It is also the requirement for hospital workers and nursing homes, they must be vaccinated to continue with their professional work.
This initiative to require proof of vaccination against Covid – 19 is also being implemented in other countries such as France, Italy and Canada . In these countries, this type of demand has unleashed large demonstrations.
And in parallel with this demand, there are also incentives for people to be vaccinated voluntarily, There are multiple companies, institutions, organizers, etc., that offer if you can say “reward” or “benefits” if you show that you were vaccinated.
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