Since the obligation of the Green Pass for indoor restaurants, concerts and other gathering occasions, there has been a booking boom at vaccination hubs. At the same time, however, some crafty ones have decided to take the opportunity to start scams against citizens, in which gods are promised Fake Green Passes in exchange for a payment.
Fake Green Passes, the Telegram scam
Obviously we tell you right away to absolutely do not fall into the trap: we explain how the scam works for information only. On Telegram, in fact, some channels have been born that promise the sending of a Green Pass within 48/72 hours of payment and the worrying thing is that in a few days they have reached thousands of subscribers. In one channel, at the time of writing, there are more than 40,000 subscribers and in another more than 120,000.
But how does it work specifically? These elusive wizards manage to bring up a valid Green Pass too without the original requirements. That is, vaccination, a negative test for a swab, or recovery from COVID-19 within a certain period. For them, and they proudly reiterate it, simply a copy of the health card and a valid identification document are enough. And obviously, 200 euros for the digital green certificate or 300 euros for the paper version. Other channels offer lower prices or even a family package, in short, to save on the scam.
The channel reads that the Green Passes provided are regularly issued by the European health system and are therefore real documents. During the checks, they will be perfectly valid, and the QR Code will be active and functioning. Then, like any best seller – or scammer, it’s up to you to judge – 1200 phantom happy users are mentioned who have already received the famous certificate.
A scam to stay away from
The problems in this case are numerous. First and foremost this practice is illegal: Scammers, of course, are taking action against the law, but users who walk around with a fake Green Pass will also face penalties. Furthermore it is not certain that after payment you will actually receive anything, even just a fake code. The other problem, not a small one, is that the channels really have many subscribers who are most likely succumbing to the scam, paying hundreds of euros in exchange for a certificate that – legally – is rightfully free for those who comply with the requirements. Last but not least, scammers require two personal documents where there are some sensitive data, and it’s not a good thing to spread this information to strangers.
We reiterate to stay away from these scams who march on the fear of not being able to go on vacation and on the current health situation. It is not the first time that the crafty ones ride the wave of COVID-19, with scams created ad hoc.