Ohio AG joins group calling for help to stop fake vaccine cards

(The Center Square) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has called on major corporations to stop the growing problem of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards.

In a letter to corporate leaders, Yost joined 44 other attorneys general from across the country to ask Twitter, eBay and Shopify to stop people from selling the fraudulent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccination cards on their platforms.

“Fraudulent vaccine cards simply don’t have a place in the marketplace,” Yost said. “Vaccines are more readily available across Ohio than ever before. Don’t fall into a deceptive trap when you could get the real thing with less effort.”

Yost joined the effort led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery. The group raised concerns of the public health risks the fake cards present.

The letter asked companies to monitor platforms for ads or links selling blank or fraudulently completed vaccination cards and promptly take them down. The attorneys general also asked for records and information about the ads and the people selling them be preserved.

Reps. Mike Loychik, R-Bazetta, and Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, became the first Tuesday to sponsor a bill in the Ohio Legislature that would, if passed, head off attempts of what essentially would be government-required vaccines.

New York became the first state to adopt a vaccine passport program, calling it an “Excelsior Pass,” which is going to use QR code technology to allow individuals into venues.

“We’re taking steps to protect people’s rights here in Ohio,” Loychik said. “The last thing we should do is follow Andrew Cuomo and New York to implement this type of mandated program.”

The bill still in the process of seeking co-sponsors and hasn’t been assigned to a committee.

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