Our volunteer researchers cover misinformation hot spots on the internet day and night. On October 29 2021, we viewed a post that offered vaccine passes to people for $50, claiming they were “real”. “We pay $ for vaccine passes, and then we sell them to members of the public who need them,” the post read.
It’s vital that we keep our community transmission rates as low as possible, and that could be hindered by those not looking after the wellbeing of vulnerable people in our communities by using fraudulent passes.
We passed details of the network on to both the New Zealand Police and media outlets. Buying and selling vaccine certificates is a criminal offence with penalties of up to six months in prison and up to $12,000 in fines.
See coverage of the vaccine pass black market on Stuff here and here, and Newshub here.
