FBI Sends Out Warning Advising Against Buying, Making or Misrepresenting a Vaccine Card Which May Be “Breaking the Law”This is in response to an FBI public service announcement:
If You Make or Buy a Fake COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, You Endanger Yourself and Those Around You, and You Are Breaking the LawTHe FBI PSA goes on to warn people not to post images of their vaccine cards on social media -- "your personal information could be stolen to commit fraud."
The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI are advising the public to be aware of individuals selling fake COVID-19 vaccination record cards and encouraging others to print fake cards at home. Fake vaccination record cards have been advertised on social media websites, as well as e-commerce platforms and blogs.
Vaccination record cards are intended to provide recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine with information about the type of vaccine they received, and when they may be able to receive a second dose of the vaccine. If you did not receive the vaccine, do not buy fake vaccine cards, do not make your own vaccine cards, and do not fill-in blank vaccination record cards with false information. By misrepresenting yourself as vaccinated when entering schools, mass transit, workplaces, gyms, or places of worship, you put yourself and others around you at risk of contracting COVID-19. Additionally, the unauthorized use of an official government agency's seal (such as HHS or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) is a crime, and may be punishable under Title 18 United States Code, Section 1017, and other applicable laws.
I've been dreading this moment, which I knew was coming. It's been obvious for months that right-wingers would resist the vaccines and be offended that vaccination had privileges to which they would not be entitled. I've assumed that they'd create, or at least obtain, fake vaccination records as an act of defiance against liberal fascism or cancel culture or the Fauci/Soros/Gates One World Government or however the hell they define their enemies. It also appeared inevitable that apolitical operators would see fake vaccine IDs as a clever way to make a dishonest dollar. It seemed like a huge mistake to make the initial vaccine cards out of simple cardboard. You can get your card laminated (I actually did that at Staples), but it doesn't exactly make the thing seem like a secure ID.
And now fake vaccine cards are being made -- and Gateway Pundit thinks the real villains are the folks at the FBI who are trying to do something about it. GP's post is accompanied by this oh-so-subtle 2016-vintage Photoshop:
The post reads in part:
The FBI is now in the pandemic business. They were part of illegal activities in the Russian sham. They ignored massive corruption in the 2020 election, but now find their purpose pushing vaccinations cards to Americans.The post approvingly quotes some conspiratorial nonsense from a lunatic in Minnesota.
One response to the FBI’s ignorance of personal freedom was to refer to the Gates Foundation:
We're funding a federal agency to enforce a population control grid engineered by Bill Gates' global paragovernment which has its hooks deep in Minneapolis.https://t.co/ua5XDpUah9
— H.M. Jackman (@StPetersShadow) April 3, 2021
I don't expect the rest of the right to go quite that far -- but I can easily imagine blue cities in red states trying to crack down on creators of phony vaccine cards and being constrained by their state legislatures and governors, who'll limit the penalties for vaccine-card fakery to tiny fines, or ban prosecutions altogether. They'll certainly rally around anyone accused of this who's facing serious time.
Gateway Pundit is part of the lunatic fringe, but I think fake ID card makers are likely to replace bar and gym owners who open their doors in defiance of lockdowns as the new wingnut heroes. The right has never taken the pandemic seriously. Why start now?
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