The prohibition of entering bars and restaurants for people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 has led to a black market for false certificates.
The ban on unvaccinated people from entering bars and restaurants led many Australians to get inoculated, but it also led to a black market for fake COVID-19 vaccine certificates.
Molly, 24, who asked to hide her real name, went out to enjoy the city. Despite not being vaccinated, the young woman enjoys Melbourne’s vibrant social life, which in October emerged from more than 260 days of intermittent confinement.
“I am not anti” vaccines, Molly told AFP, “but I do not agree that it is mandatory.”
In recent weeks, he has used a false vaccination passport obtained on social networks to dine at various restaurants in the city. “There is a link that circulates the last months: they put the details and give you a vaccination passport ”, he explained.
The link has been removed, but Australian authorities are running after various other sites and applications seeking to profit from the demand for fake certificates.
Across the country, searches for such documents on Google soared when rules for unvaccinated people were announced in October, limiting their entry into establishments.
One active site claims to sell certificates for Australia, the United States, Great Britain, and Pakistan for $ 500.
Health experts fear that false certificates put owners at risk and could lead to outbreaks and complicate contact tracing.
It is difficult to quantify the false documents in circulation, but a Telegram channel promoting fraudulent certificates in Australia has more than 64,000 members.
“You get them pretty easy on the dark web,” said Vince Hurley, a retired detective who teaches criminology at Macquarie University.
“The price ranges from A $ 100 to A $ 1,000 ($ 74 to $ 740) depending on the quality, the reputation of the seller and the feedback from other users,” he said.
Despite the risk of up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to US $ 7,400, some Australians have bought fake certificates or made them themselves.
Salim, 27, who also asked not to use his real name, created his own vaccination passport using a friend’s real document as a template.
You’ve used it in restaurants, gyms, and salons, and you’re not afraid of legal risks.
“I am forced to do this because they did not give me a choice. I am not robbing a bank, I am not harming anyone, ”he told AFP.
“I know at least 10 people with false vaccination documents,” he added.
You will not enter
The Australian Federal Police are aware of the problem and have promised to “maintain the integrity of vaccination against covid-19,” a spokesperson said. To address the issue, authorities began remaking the first vaccination passports with digital holograms, QR codes, and other anti-counterfeiting methods.
But according to Hurley, there is a “law of diminishing returns” in black market surveillance, which forces security forces to have “dedicated police officers standing at a desk to monitor the network.”
The daily control of the certificates is in the hands of the establishments, which by law must review the condition of each person they admit.
Anthony Hammond, who owns two Melbourne bars, says the industry is stumbling on it to control the certificates. His business staff have had to sift through a diverse range of certificates on apps, smartphones, wallets, and paper copies.
“We don’t know anything about it, I don’t even know what they are like, the government or anyone else hasn’t given us training,” he said.
“There will be people making mistakes, how can we prevent it?” He asked. (I)
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