Fake COVID-19 Vaccine Cards Aren't Just Illegal, They Can Be Bad for Your Privacy

The rise in COVID-19 vaccine mandates has led to a spike in fake vaccine cards for sale on the internet.

It's illegal to show a fake vaccine card, but even if you're willing to take that risk, you've possibly compromised your privacy to get the fake card in the first place.

"Now, you think you've gotten something for your $100. You've gotten a vaccine card, but what you've actually then done is handed your personal data over to this bad actor and more than likely that bad actor is likely to turn around and sell that data to somebody at a price, thereby compromising your identity, your privacy," said Brian Linder, an emerging threat expert at Check Point Research.

Some of the fake vaccine cards are homemade, but shipments by the thousands have been found on their way to the United States from China and confiscated by U.S. customs officers. Others have popped up on dozens of online forums.