WENATCHEE, WA – An East Wenatchee Walgreens pharmacist is under scrutiny and facing the heat after reportedly issuing fraudulent vaccination cards. The man accused, Geoff Reynolds, has since been fired.
There have been COVID-19 vaccination record fraud cases everywhere, from Italy to California to New Jersey. And in some instances, those perpetrators may face fines of up to $5,000 and up to five years in jail if caught.
As with anything, there are prowlers looking for the next scam. And as more places start requiring proof of vaccination to work, go to events, or even eat in restaurants, it’s no surprise those scammers started coming out of the woodworks.
“There are some people that just don’t want to get vaccinated, but they still want to go to the baseball game. They still want to travel internationally. And so this might appeal to them,” Vilfer, a former FBI profiler said.
This time, the accused was a pharmacist at a Walgreens in East Wenatchee.
The reports surfaced against Reynolds, alleging he was giving out fake vaccination cards. He was accused of wasting a vaccine dose by emptying it into a trash can, and then signing off on the patient’s cards.
Walgreens confirmed to KHQ that they fired him as soon as they learned what he was doing saying in a statement:
“After being notified by the Chelan-Douglas Health District of actions by this individual on behalf of two local first responders, Walgreens cooperated with state authorities and conducted our own internal investigation, resulting in termination of employment.”
But Reynolds isn’t the first person to commit vaccination fraud, nor is he likely to be the last.
A nurse in Italy was arrested in connection to a fake COVID vaccine scam, caught on a surveillance video allegedly pretending to vaccinate a married couple, but instead emptying the vaccine into gauze and giving them fake vaccine cards.
And it’s not just overseas.
According to the Customs and Border Protection Agency, since the start of the pandemic, officers across the U.S have seized more than 30,000 counterfeit COVID vaccination cards.
In Vermont, the plot even involved state troopers.
“It’s just a dumb thing to do,” Vermont Governor Phil Scott said. “It’s just such a simple thing to do: get vaccinated, and you get your card. You don’t have to fabricate something.”
In New Jersey, a woman calling herself “antivaxmomma” on Instagram was accused of selling hundreds of cards for $200 a pop, including to people working in hospitals and nursing homes.
Last year in Northern California, the owner of a bar and naturopathic physician were both arrested for selling fake COVID-19 vaccination cards.
It isn’t just the forgers. Two tourists in Hawaii were arrested for using fake cards.
“It’s a federal crime here in the U.S. It’s also fraud and could be charged under forgery,” Vilfer said.
Last March, the FBI sent out a PSA to not post your vaccination card on social media because it can then be used to steal your identity and commit fraud.
If you do run across what you think is a fake vaccine card, here’s a list of ways you can detect it:
The absence of information called for on the CDC vaccination record card, such as the manufacturer’s lot number, date, and identification of the vaccine providerMisspellingsInconsistent dates, of doses administered too close togetherThe name of an unfamiliar manufacturer or providerThin-cut paper rather than cardstockA card that appears to have been cut with scissorsA card that has been fully printed instead of at least partially handwritten.
While it’s one thing to give out fake vaccine cards, it’s another to use one. Depending on the state, it could be considered a forgery or a felony, which could mean jail time or at the very least a fine or probation.
