Counterfeiters sell “vaccine passport” in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro for US$80 in bitcoins

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Profiteers in Rio de Janeiro are selling the “vaccine passport” fakes for up to R$500 (US$80) in bitcoins. The adulterated document is offered in anti-vaccine message groups. It would be used by people who have not taken the immunization against Covid-19 and want to access places where people are forced to show a vaccination certificate.

The counterfeiters demand that the payment be upfront and only in cryptocurrencies, to make it difficult to track those involved in the crime, says a report in O Globo newspaper.

“I already have mine, all right,” said a buyer of the vaccine passport when pointing to a seller in the group. The ad states that the price for the fake was R$200; however, the value went up and may increase even more due to high demand.

The counterfeiters offer a PDF file that imitates the document issued by the ConectSUS application from the Ministry of Health. The forgery should contain the personal data of the buyer and the two doses of the vaccine.

But the sellers themselves warn that the QR Code of the fake “vaccine passport” does not work and, therefore, should not be used in places that authenticate the code.

The Rio Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS-Rio) said that there was no formalized complaint or people caught while using the fakes. The agency also reminded that those who obtain and use adulterated vaccination documents commit a crime and are subject to legal penalties.

A reporter from Metrópoles newspaper also sought the Rio de Janeiro Police to verify any ongoing investigation on the sale of fake “vaccine passports”, but so far has not received a response.

CONTROVERSIAL VACCINE PASSPORT

While intellectually and technologically leading European countries such as Sweden, Denmark, Iceland or the United Kingdom have, due to new findings, either abolished the vaccination card again or not introduced it at all, Rio de Janeiro is once again trotting along behind the latest development.

Brazilian mass media still publish vaccination rankings and clap their hands enthusiastically when Brazil “overtakes” one or another country in terms of vaccination rates.

After months of being scolded by the Europeans and feeling bad and small about it, they are now proud that they are doing everything “right”. In this sense, the country has remained a colony.

Although one large-scale scientific study has shown that there is no correlation between vaccination rates and new infections, authorities in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and other Brazilian cities insist on introducing these vaccination cards, which many consider dangerous for social cohesion, while creating an upper and lower class of citizens.

Since September, you must have a “vaccine passport” to enter places such as swimming pools, tourist spots, museums, gyms, cinemas, and theaters in Rio de Janeiro. The City Council has already approved a bill that determines a R$1,000 fine for people who fraud the Covid-19 vaccination card.

Proof of immunization against coronavirus is also being required in nine other Brazilian capitals. The approved rules determine the evidence of vaccination for access to a series of environments, such as bars, restaurants, clubs, museums, shows, sports games, gyms, cinemas, theaters, and even churches.

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