Sale of fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates on rise.

Lahore (Nut-Desk)

Despite the 4th and deadly wave of corona pandemic, it is very hearting that sale of fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates on rise  in Pakistan and those people who did not want to be vaccinated, are availing these certificates from fraudsters. It seems that government’s extensive Covid-19 vaccination campaign, many people were still reluctant to be vaccinated against Covid.

“The general impression we have about vaccinations is that maybe any kind of vaccination leads to male infertility. The same impression was there about vaccines that work against polio,” it is learnt.

News update Times  learnt that the fraudsters have been sending mass marketing messages through various SMS portals and WhatsApp groups — wherein many of the messages went viral — claiming that anyone could get a National Database and Registration Authority-verified certificate after paying a certain amount to the fraudsters.

It was also claimed in the messages by the counterfeiters that if the buyer received the certificate from them after making the payments, he/she could send his/her CNIC number to the National Immunization Management System number, 1166, and the data would both only verify that he/she was vaccinated as well as allow the person to get the NADRA Covid-19 Certificate through its online portal.

It is pertinent to mention here that the fraudsters were only selling certificates and not vaccinations and this offer was for those who did not want to be vaccinated.

The counterfeiters were claiming that the CanSino vaccine certificate was available for Rs20,000 and the verification of a single-shot of the Sinovac vaccine was available for Rs15,000 while the double-shot was for Rs30,000.

Similarly, the counterfeiters were also claiming that they had a single-shot certificate of Sinopharm vaccine available for Rs15,000 while one could supposedly buy a double-shot certificate for Rs30,000.

Moreover, the scammers also purported that one could purchase a Moderna vaccine single-shot certificate for Rs15,000 and the double-shot version for Rs28,000. The certificate of AstraZeneca vaccine single-shot was being sold for Rs17,000 and the double-shot was for Rs35,000. Similarly, Rs20,000 was charged for a Pfizer vaccine single-shot certificate and Rs30,000 for a double-shot certificate.