U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said Wednesday that officers intercepted two packages filled with fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards in Pittsburgh on Sept. 7.
The first package filled with 20 cards was seized by officers Aug. 24 after the officers questioned the quality of the cards, according to a CBP media release. The cards came from a consignee who was not from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or other medical agency.
JUST IN: The feds have seized two shipments of dozens of fake COVID-19 vaccination cards in Pittsburgh. https://t.co/jWjbTfGEiq
— KDKA (@KDKA) September 15, 2021
Officers then placed a hold on the second package going to the same Pennsylvania address. Both packages of fraudulent cards were shipped from China and included 70 cards in total. (RELATED: Authorities Arrest Chicago Pharmacist For Selling Vaccine Cards. He Could Face Decades In Prison)
Officials are still investigating the incident, according to the media release.
“Coronavirus and its variants continues to pose a serious health and safety threat to American citizens, and so do unscrupulous vendors who peddle counterfeit COVID vaccination cards,” CBP’s Pittsburgh Port Director William Fitting said, according to the media release. “Customs and border protection will continue to intercept counterfeit goods, such as these fake vaccine cards, that threaten our nation, our people, and our economy.”
The FBI issued a statement March 30 warning Americans that purchasing fake COVID-19 vaccination cards is illegal. Since then, officials have confiscated fraudulent vaccination cards all over the country.