WEDNESDAY, Sept. 1, 2021 (HealthDay Information) — A lady who calls herself AntiVaxMomma on social media faces a lot of fees for promoting pretend COVID-19 vaccination playing cards, New York prosecutors mentioned Tuesday.
They allege that Jasmine Clifford, of Lyndhurst, N.J., offered about 250 pretend vaccination playing cards by way of her Instagram account in current months, the Related Press reported.
Clifford supplied the bogus playing cards for $200 every to folks within the New York Metropolis space, together with some workers of hospitals and nursing properties, in keeping with prosecutors.
Additionally they mentioned that for an additional $250, Clifford’s alleged co-conspirator, Nadayza Barkley, of Bellport, L.I., entered a pretend card purchaser’s title right into a New York State vaccination database used to substantiate vaccine standing at venues corresponding to sporting occasions and concert events, the AP reported.
Barkley entered at the least 10 names into the state’s vaccine database whereas working at a Patchogue medical clinic, in keeping with prosecutors.
Clifford was charged with providing a false instrument, felony possession of a cast instrument and conspiracy, and Barkley was charged with providing a false instrument and conspiracy.
13 alleged consumers of the pretend playing cards have been additionally charged, the AP reported.
Manhattan District Lawyer Cyrus Vance Jr. referred to as on Fb, which owns Instagram, and different tech corporations to crack down on vaccine card scams, saying in a statement that “the stakes are too excessive to sort out pretend vaccination playing cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions.”
Fb mentioned that it prohibits anybody from shopping for or promoting COVID-19 vaccine playing cards and that it eliminated Clifford’s account in early August for breaking its guidelines.
“We’ll evaluation another accounts that is likely to be doing the identical factor,” the corporate mentioned in a written assertion. “We respect the DA’s work on this matter and can take away this content material each time we discover it.”
The sale of pretend vaccine playing cards is a rising concern as extra locations require proof of vaccination to work, eat in eating places, and take part in every day actions.
In Could, the proprietor of a Northern California bar was arrested after he allegedly offered made-to-order pretend COVID-19 vaccination playing cards for $20 every, the AP reported, and a naturopathic doctor in Northern California was arrested in June on fees she offered pretend COVID therapies and vaccination playing cards.
Two vacationers have been arrested this month for allegedly utilizing pretend vaccine playing cards to journey into Hawaii, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer has referred to as on federal regulation enforcement businesses to focus on on-line gross sales of pretend COVID vaccination playing cards, the AP reported.
Extra info
Go to the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention for extra on COVID vaccines.
SOURCE: Related Press
