Press Release

Media Contact: media@buysafeamerica.org
 
 
Sale of Fraudulent COVID-19 Vaccine Cards Emphasizes the Urgent Need for Marketplace Transparency 
 
Buy Safe America Coalition Urges Lawmakers to Pass INFORM Consumers Act
 
Washington, D.C. – The Buy Safe America Coalition, a diverse group of retailers, consumer groups, wholesaler-distributors, and manufacturers that support efforts to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods, today released the following statement on the sale of counterfeit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccine cards on leading e-commerce platforms.
 
“The ease in which criminals can sell fake COVID-19 vaccine cards is a symptom of a much larger problem: the failure of online marketplaces to vet their own third-party sellers. Without a simple verification system in place, anyone can use an e-commerce platform to sell fraudulent merchandise and put consumers at risk,” said Michael Hanson, Buy Safe America Coalition spokesperson. 
 
The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) recently sent a letter to several online marketplaces, including eBay and Twitter, urging them to prevent criminals from selling fraudulent vaccine cards. The bipartisan coalition of attorneys general noted that multiple states’ laws provide for damages and penalties for such conduct.
 
The Buy Safe America Coalition is urging Congress to pass the INFORM Consumers Act, which would help prevent fraudulent merchandise from being sold on e-commerce platforms by requiring that all online marketplaces collect and verify basic business information from sellers, in addition to requiring high-volume sellers to provide business contact information to consumers.
 
Visit BuySafeAmerica.org for more information about the growing problem of stolen and counterfeit goods and solutions to better protect consumers and businesses.
 

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The Buy Safe America Coalition represents a diverse group of responsible retailers, consumer groups, manufacturers, intellectual property advocates and law enforcement officials who support efforts at all levels of government to protect consumers and communities from the sale of counterfeit and stolen goods.