Indiana Facebook group uses special code to avoid being reported for fake vaccination cards
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indiana Facebook group for new moms shows more and more people looking for fake vaccination cards.
A member of the group, who wished to remain anonymous, tells I-Team 8 the group has evolved from people fearing the vaccine to people looking to buy fake vaccination cards.
“Any person just reading it would probably be like, what are these crazy people talking about? These sentences don’t even make sense. But when you break them down, they refer to the code — the vaccine cards as recipe cards,” she said.
The member says the group uses coded language to reference COVID-19 and fake vaccination cards, like “cookie” and “cookie recipe.” The member says it’s all to avoid being flagged or reported by Facebook.
“Dozens of people saying ‘interested,’ ‘interested,’ ‘interested, ‘interested,’ like they’re interested in getting the fake COVID card too,” she said.
The group has nearly 4,000 members in it. FBI Supervisor Special Agent Spencer Brooks says buying or selling a fake vaccination card is a federal crime.
“It’s a federal document with a federal seal, and so it is a it’s a falsified document,” Brooks said.
According to the Department of Justice, misrepresenting the official seal of a U.S. agency, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo on vaccine cards, could be a violation of federal law and violators could face up to five years in prison or a $5,000 fine.
Brooks tells I-Team 8 anyone who comes across a website or social media post showing someone having a fake vaccination card should report it on ic3.gov. He recommends not posting a real vaccination card on social media and says the problem is getting worse with entertainment venues and places of work requiring proof of vaccination.
“That kind of drives the market, and unfortunately, then can drive the black market,” Brooks said.
The Facebook group member says she can see how one fake vaccination card can have a devastating, lasting impact, especially on kids.
“It’s awful to be a parent right now, I feel like we’re literally choosing between our children’s education and their lives. I’m just to the point as a parent, I’m so tired of our kids paying the price for adults being idiots,” she said.
More FBI tips on what to do about fake vaccination cards can be found here.
- COVID-19 vaccinations in Indiana: Get details and sign up
- Schedule a COVID-19 test in Indiana
- Indiana coronavirus resources and timeline of events
- More coronavirus coverage from WISH-TV
“The Office of the Indiana Attorney General is committed to protecting consumers. At present, we have not seen any evidence of fake COVID vaccine cards on the dark web specific to Indiana. We are however continuing to monitor emerging scams, including those related to the COVID-19 vaccine, and will issue warnings to the public as warranted.”
Attorney General spokesperson