Criminals are selling fake negative test certificates to Covid, as an increasing number of countries are demanding that travelers provide evidence of such results, Europol warned on Monday.
Several cases of sale of false documents have already been identified, the agency says in an “Early Warning” issued to European police forces.
That includes “arresting a counterfeit ring at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, selling counterfeit negative test results to passengers”, which charged between $ 180 and $ 360 for fake certificates, Europol said
In the UK, Europol intelligence found, “fraudsters have been caught selling fake COVID-19 test papers for $ 135, falsifying the name of a genuine laboratory on the fake certificates.”
Criminals are also using online platforms to sell fake certificates, warns Europol, including in Spain, where a “fraudster has been arrested by the Spanish National Police for selling false negative PCR certificates” for $ 50 each.
In the Netherlands, “scammers were discovered selling fake negative tests for $ 60-72 through messaging apps.”
A genuine “fit to fly” PCR certificate in the UK costs more than $ 273, a CNN survey found.
In the Warning Notice, Europol said:
“As long as travel restrictions remain in effect due to the COVID-19 situation, it is highly likely that the production and sale of fake test certificates will prevail.”
“Given the widely available technological means, in the form of high-quality printers and different software, fraudsters are able to produce high quality forged, falsified or false documents,” said the agency.
The agency issued the warning to “raise awareness of the illicit production and sale of fraudulent COVID-19 negative test certificates” and asked law enforcement agencies “to share any relevant information about criminal activities related to the COVID- test documentation- 19 false. “