If you are hoping to travel to Israel from New York and were thinking about buying a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, rather than having to bother with getting the shots, you may want to reconsider your options.
York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation on Wednesday that criminalizes falsification of a COVID-19 vaccination card.
Under the new law, falsifying a COVID-19 vaccine card is a misdemeanor. In addition, a new felony was created: “computer tampering in the third degree for intentional entering, alteration of destruction of ‘computer material’ regarding COVID-19 vaccine provisions.”
Those who violate the law and are caught with fake COVID-19 vaccination cards could face up to a year in prison.
“Individuals who misrepresent their vaccination history not only jeopardize their own health, but the health of all those they come into contact with,” Hochul said in a statement released by her office.
“This legislation ensures that as New York opens up and many businesses choose to rely on checking vaccination status, the falsification of vaccination records will not be tolerated.”
The bill also directs the state health commissioner to study the delivery of medical care in response to the pandemic and directs the State Department of Financial Services to study the impact of the pandemic on underserved areas and access to loans by small businesses and minority-and-women-owned businesses.
This past August, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced charges against 15 people involved in a fake COVID-19 vaccination card operation.
Approximately 250 forged cards were sold over Instagram. Thirteen people who work in public-facing or other essential employee settings (hospitals, medical and nursing schools and nursing homes) and who purchased the cards were also charged.
“We will continue to safeguard public health in New York with proactive investigations like these, but the stakes are too high to tackle fake vaccination cards with whack-a-mole prosecutions,” Vance said at the time.
“We need companies like Facebook to take action to prevent the fraud happening on their platforms. Making, selling, and purchasing forged vaccination cards are serious crimes with serious public safety consequences.
