Federal customs officials have seized more than 3,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination cards at shipping warehouses processing international cargo in Anchorage, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Thursday.
“The shipments of these cards are low-quality printing, and closely resemble the authentic CDC certificates provided by healthcare providers when administering the COVID vaccine,” the agency said in a statement Thursday.
The counterfeit certificates are coming from China and being distributed around the United States, said Kymberly Fernandez, an assistant area port director with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Anchorage.
Anchorage is a hub for international cargo flights.
Vaccination mandates have stoked an illegal marketplace for counterfeit vaccination record cards nationally. Faking the certificates is illegal under federal law that bars unauthorized use of official government seals.
Fernandez said a criminal investigation into the faked cards is ongoing.