BBB Warns About the Potential Scams Fuelled by the COVID Vaccine Passports

As people around the world are increasingly becoming vaccinated, the concern about the vaccine passport is also rising. New York State has rolled out a digital pass that ensures that people have been either vaccinated or are negative for the COVID-19. However, some states like Texas and Florida are taking steps to make sure that the vaccine passports won’t be used in their jurisdiction. 

Biden’s administration is still considering the management of vaccine passports or whether its usage will be mandated or not. However, some are reminding us that we are already using the document to show proof of the yellow fever vaccination and the COVID-19 vaccination passport will be similar to that.

It is expected that the vaccine passports will become really common soon and keeping this in mind, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has rolled out a warning about the likelihood of scams that might emerge along with the vaccine passports.

VACCINE PASSPORTS: As COVID-19 vaccine passports are starting to roll out, the BBB is warning of likely scams. https://t.co/7C4MHlTRWs

— ABC4 News (@abc4utah) April 11, 2021

BBB has warned about the possibility of various scams including phishing attack. This attack will pose as an official-looking email from the government officials or the vaccine centres and will steal the personal credentials of the victim. The scammers could also pose as the survey email by the vaccine provider like Pfizer and will bait the victim by offering a gift on completion of the survey. In order to avail the gift offer, the victim will be required to provide their credit card information and through this, they steal their credit card credentials.

Another possibility of scams arises due to people posting the picture of their vaccine passports online. The vaccine passports contain personal information including the SSN number and posting it online will make the scammer’s work easier.

BBB also warns of another scam that comes through the QR code scanner. The vaccine passports will be scanned by phones to analyse the QR code and verify the authenticity of the vaccine passports. Airport authorities are using the digital pass to verify the vaccine passports and detect the QR code manipulation. However, the scammers could use their phones and confuse the victim getting their QR codes scanned through them and taking their information.

BBB has told people to be aware of the scammers selling fake COVID vaccine passports online. People might be interested in buying them to misrepresent themselves as vaccinated but they might end up getting scammed or get caught as the public facilities are using the digital pass to verify the authenticity of the vaccine passport.