Fake coronavirus negative certificates being sold on the black market to tourists
COVID test
Tourists are buying fake COVID-19 test results on the black market to travel as airlines are now requiring proof of a negative coronavirus test before passengers can board a plane to certain countries.
Forged negative coronavirus tests have already been reported in France, Brazil and the UK.
However, it is unlikely that a high number of travellers would be able to use fake test results because protocols are becoming high tech, according to a report from The Washington Post.
“With global coronavirus cases rising, many countries are now requiring negative coronavirus test results for entry, but getting a test in time can be difficult for travellers,” reports The Washington Post.
A small industry of selling false-negative certificates is also cropping up with travellers reportedly ready to cough up $200 for the bogus documents.
Last month four tourists were arrested in Brazil for allegedly falsifying COVID-19 tests in an attempt to reach what some say is the world’s most beautiful beach.
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Recently, Security officials of France busted alleged forgery ring that was selling fake test certificates at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport. According to the media reports, the group was asking $180 to $360 (150 to 300 euros) for the digital certificates of a negative result.
Health experts have also warned of a serious consequence if the evil is not nipped in the bid “Now, armed with such a fake report anyone can go for surgery at any hospital and if he or she happens to be Covid-19 positive, the outcome will be explosive, “said an expert.
(With inputs from agencies)