NEW YORK (AP) — A New Jersey woman advertising herself on Instagram as the AntiVaxMomma sold several hundred fake COVID-19 vaccination cards at $200 a pop to New York City-area jab dodgers, including people working in hospitals and nursing homes, prosecutors said Tuesday.
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For an extra $250, a second scammer would then enter a bogus card buyer’s name into a New York state vaccination database, which feeds systems used to verify vaccine status at places they’re required, such as concerts and sporting events, prosecutors said.
Jasmine Clifford, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey, was charged Tuesday with offering a false instrument, criminal possession of a forged instrument and conspiracy. Authorities say she sold about 250 fake vaccine cards in recent months.
Clifford’s alleged co-conspirator, Nadayza Barkley, of Bellport, Long Island, did not enter a plea an an arraignment Tuesday morning in Manhattan criminal court on charges of offering a false instrument and conspiracy.
Prosecutors say Barkley entered at least 10 names into the state’s vaccine database while working at a Patchogue medical clinic and received payments for her work from Clifford through the services Zelle and CashApp.
Online court records did not list lawyers for Clifford or Barkley who could comment.
Thirteen alleged card purchasers were also charged, including a man who has been accused of paying to be entered in the database. Actual COVID-19 vaccines are available free of charge.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. called on Facebook, which owns Instagram, and other tech companies to crack down on vaccine card fraudsters, saying in a statement “the stakes are too high to tackle fake vaccination cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions.”
A message seeking comment was left with a spokesperson for Facebook.
According to prosecutors, Clifford, a self-described online entrepreneur, started hawking forged Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards through her AntiVaxMomma Instagram account in May.
A New York state police investigator who became aware of the scam a few weeks later tested it by contacting Clifford to order a fake card and to be added to the state vaccine database, prosecutors said.
In July, the investigator said in court papers, he received a package containing a CDC COVID-19 vaccination card marked with the name and date of birth he provided and a cellphone screenshot showing that the information he provided had also been added to the state database.
at least they didn’t kill 10,000 nursing home patients in NY like the ex-gov
We should be thankful that those arrested aren’t ours.
The fact is, there are a lot more people than you think that do not want to get the vaccine but are afraid to speak up or share their opinions. Ultimately, not the govt, and not employers, or whomever it may be, will be able to force a needle into people’s arms
wondering what acheinu b’nei yisroel are thinking? /before the Nazis, y’mshmm, took over Germany, there were Yidden who had to zchus and siyatta d’shmaya to escape, leaving fortunes behind, including houses, busiinesses, neighbors, etc. – their entire lifestyle. We are facing the identical scenario – believe it or don’t. The story of Yidden in the cherished US.A is coming to a frightening close. Should we or not, do as many of our brave forefathers did – get out of here while we still can?! Seforim say that immediately before Moshiach gets here, Eretz Yisroel, (not medinas yisroel – but the PHYSICAL LOCATION of Yisroel,), will be the only safe place to survive the turmoil right before our long-awaited Geulah.
Welcome to the new black market that’s going to thrive, just like in every communist country. Could be freedom should go take a break in order to fight the virus. But get ready for the aftermath
It’s all those who discriminate against people on the basis of their vaccine status who should be prosecuted.
The liberals are screaming that everyone must take the vaccines or face not being allowed into restaurants or bakeries etc. They say that they will mandate it possibly even arrest those refusing. Why ? Because they feel it endangers rest of society. Yet the liberals legalize marijua seena when that endangers society with causing car accidents. Smoking endangers society with second hand smoke. Releasing violent criminals endangers society. Same gender education destroys society. But it’s politically correct. I was going to take the vaccine but I realize it’s a money making gimmick by pharmaceutical companies.
Short of crying to Shomayim for H’KBH to quickly hasten the coming of Moshiach, which will be our only yeshua, we must meanwhile use all our seichel and daven for Siyatta D’Shmaya to think of whatever we can, no matter how ingenious, to try to save ourselves from this demonic, evil and murderous g’zeiroh and its heads. Otherwise, Yidden, we are truly oif tzuris, rmlz’ln. Ein od Milvado!
I just vomited from the after effects of this vaccine plus high fever. Folks think about it, if you had covid already are you willing to insert covid again like I did? This vaccine is nuts
To us Orthodox Jews we don’t need the vac card as we don’t go to Broadway shows and most don’t go to restaurants especially big families. So we don’t need to comply.
I’m happy to see that people are managing to work aroind these vaccine mandates. What worries me though, are the sheep who are willingly and happily giving up their rights to “save the world”… sad