How to spot a fake COVID-19 vaccine card

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Some people are trying to dodge the coronavirus vaccine mandate rules by creating fake vaccination cards.

Leslie Blackwell with the Better Business Bureau explains that this is a very bad idea: “It’s a federal crime to create, to sell, or to buy fraudulent vaccine cards using an official seal from a government agency.”

Blackwell says the BBB is getting more calls about fake vaccine cards.

“What we’ve seen here at the Better Business Bureau through complaints and a lot of our research is that they have skyrocketed on the black market,” Blackwell said.

That’s why the BBB wants you to be on alert.

“The vaccine cards include the recipients name, their birth date, the vaccine maker, the lot number, and the date and the place where the shot took place,” Blackwell said. “If you’re looking at a vaccine card, you want to make sure that everything lines up.”

According to the Virginia Department of Health, all vaccine providers in the commonwealth are required to report doses administered to the Virginia Immunization Information System.

“In Virginia, we actually developed a COVID vaccine record portal that Virginians can go in and can pull down their record based off of the vaccines that have been sent to the Virginia Immunization Information System,” VDH’s, Christy Gray said. “As well as a QR code that can be scanned and it’s been digitally signed by the Virginia Department of Health.”

Gray says this allows businesses to double check someone’s vaccine status.

“We really recommend that if a business wants to require vaccination that they use the portal that Virginia has set up to have their employees pull down their record, because that information is verified by the Virginia Department of Health,” Gray said.

If you would like to look up your vaccination information click here.

When it comes to protecting your vaccine information, Blackwell says you should never post your vaccination card on social media.

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