CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and other AGs are calling on Twitter, eBay and Shopify to act immediately to prevent people from selling fraudulent vaccination cards on their platforms.
The bipartisan coalition of 45 attorneys general raised concerns about public health risks posed by the fake cards in a Thursday letter to the companies’ chief executive officers. Their concern specifically notes the marketing and sale of blank or fraudulently completed cards that bear the U.S. Centers for Disease Control logo.
“We are deeply concerned about this use of your platforms to spread false and misleading information regarding COVID vaccines,” Morrisey joined in writing. “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.”
Morrisey
Providers give legitimate vaccination cards when they administer the vaccine.
Those who buy fake cards can have their own information added to the card or add it in themselves, so it appears they have been vaccinated when they have not.
In their letter, the attorneys general ask the CEOs to:
- Monitor their platforms for ads or links selling blank or fraudulently-completed vaccination cards.
- Promptly take down ads or links that are selling cards.
- Preserve records and information about the ads and the people who were selling them.