Kansas AG joins 44 others in fighting unlawful sales of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards

TOPEKA, Kan. – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt on Thursday announced he has called on the CEOs of three online platforms to act immediately to prevent the sales of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.

Schmidt joins a coalition of 44 other state and territorial attorneys general who wrote the CEOs of Twitter, eBay and Shopify as reports of fraudulent cards that appeared to have been issued by the CDC began appearing in online marketplaces.

Schmidt’s office said people buying the fake cards can have their own information added to the card or can add it in themselves, appearing as though they have been vaccination when they have not.

“The false and deceptive marketing and sales of fake COVID vaccine cards threatens the health of our communities, slows progress in getting our residents protected from the virus, and are a violation of the laws of many states,” the attorneys general wrote in their letter. “Multiple states’ laws provide for injunctive relief, damages, penalties, and other remedies for such conduct.”

In their letter, the attorneys general ask the CEOs to monitor their platforms for ads or links that sell black of falsely completed vaccination cards and to promptly take down ads or links that are selling cards. They also ask the companies to preserve records and information about the ads and the people who were selling them.