Announcement

Collapse

Health Science 101 Guidelines

Greetings! Welcome to Health Science.

Here's where we talk about the latest fad diets, the advantages of vegetarianism, the joy of exercise and good health. Like everywhere else at Tweb our decorum rules apply.

This is a place to exchange ideas and network with other health conscience folks, this isn't a forum for heated debate.
See more
See less

New global black market for bogus negative covid tests

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • New global black market for bogus negative covid tests

    I'm pretty sure it would be child's play to produce a fake test result or alter a positive one on a computer.

    Source: Black market for negative COVID-19 tests pops up across the globe


    A black market for negative COVID-19 tests has popped up across the globe as more countries require travelers to prove their negative status before entering, a report said Wednesday.

    In France, seven people were arrested last week for allegedly hawking doctored coronavirus tests at Charles de Gaulle International Airport, the Associated Press reported. The suspects, who were not identified, were charging up to $360 for the fake tests.

    Authorities tracked the ring down after finding a man bound for Ethiopia with a fake test, according to the report. The alleged scammers face up to five years in prison if convicted.

    In South America, Brazilian officials arrested four tourists who gave fake tests after they flew into an island chain off the coast of the country that requires travelers to show negative test results.

    In England, a man told a local newspaper that he was able to travel to Pakistan by using a friend’s negative COVID-19 test and changing his name.

    “You can simply get their negative test and change the name and birthdate to your own. You also put a test date on which is within the time limit required,” the man, who didn’t want to be named, told the Lancashire Telegraph.

    “You download the email, change it and then print it,” said.

    He added that he went to such lengths because he couldn’t get a test that he needed to travel since he’s not an essential worker.

    “People are doing this as you can’t get a COVID test if you have to travel to Pakistan in case of an emergency. It is difficult to get one unless you are a key worker,” he said.



    Source

    © Copyright Original Source




    I'm always still in trouble again

    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

  • #2
    Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
    I'm pretty sure it would be child's play to produce a fake test result or alter a positive one on a computer.
    Up to five years in prison sounds about the right punishment.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Stoic View Post

      Up to five years in prison sounds about the right punishment.
      The fine is pretty high as well. Up to half a million, according to USA Today.

      So far it seems the cases they reported catching were of not exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer. I mean, actually selling them at an international airport? Continental Europe's busiest.

      And again, according to USA Today the suspects in the South American case presented test results that were not conducted within the past 24 hours as required, and when they were rejected, refused to take a test and instead simply produced test results with a date that met the criteria. As the article said, that "raised red flags."

      I'm always still in trouble again

      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

      Comment


      • #4
        This kind of nonsense is probably why I caught Covid earlier this year. Somebody had it and claimed they didn't, so me and my family ended up getting it.

        Comment


        • #5
          More stories of people faking negative tests

          Source: These travelers faked negative COVID tests and got away with it


          This potentially dangerous end-around shows a huge loophole in coronavirus travel restrictions.

          In an effort to prevent the further spread of new mutations, many governments have started requiring negative COVID-19 tests from those seeking to fly across international borders — but some passengers have discovered a wildly illegal workaround.

          “I just fired up Photoshop and changed the date,” said one man who admitted to Motherboard that he forged negative COVID test results for a group of friends. “Fun fact, the document [test result] was in French whereas they were in Sweden the day it was supposedly made, but they didn’t see a problem in that.”

          Another recent traveler, who took a vacation to Southern Europe, breached the rule by changing the date on an old test in Microsoft Paint so it appeared to have been collected within the required test time window.

          Forgery is a felony in the US, but both said they had successfully gotten away with the crime.

          Others have not been so lucky: This month, 45 people were detained by Croatian police for having fake polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison if they’re found guilty. A 17-year-old Dutch girl was also recently caught with a fake negative COVID-19 test while in transit.

          Travelers complain that test requirements are pricey and say they’re motivated to falsify tests, not due to a lack of respect for the rule, but an aversion to paying for a proprietary PCR.

          “Yeah, motivation is mostly to save money,” one travel test falsifier said over WhatsApp, Motherboard reported, admitting they felt “kind of scared” by the possibility of repercussions, “but nevertheless I think it’s very likely that most Airline workers are not looking out for this type of fraud.”

          Indeed, an administrator for aviation trade association Airlines for America confirmed to the publication that, to their knowledge, the airline staff who check passengers’ test results do not have any specialized training.


          Source

          © Copyright Original Source



          This is the sort of thing that could lead to ID cards with chips much like credit cards to confirm test results or even vaccination.

          I'm always still in trouble again

          "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
          "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
          "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

          Comment


          • #6
            It would have been quite easy for me to test negative at my last test. They hand you the baggie of supplies, and they stand about 12 feet from you outside.

            You take the swab out of it's sleeve, cough three times, then swab your own mouth for 20 seconds. The swab stick is about 3 times longer than the vial you will put it in, so you break off the excess part of the swab and throw it away.

            If you pretended to swab with the "non business end" of the swab stick, then put the 'clean' swab in the tube filled with liquid, you'd come up with a clean test.

            They're not really even watching, but since you're doing this all by yourself, it would be very easy to cheat.

            (And, no, I didn't cheat - I'm just suspicious of drug tests because somebody can always figure out a way to defeat them)
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
              It would have been quite easy for me to test negative at my last test. They hand you the baggie of supplies, and they stand about 12 feet from you outside.

              You take the swab out of it's sleeve, cough three times, then swab your own mouth for 20 seconds. The swab stick is about 3 times longer than the vial you will put it in, so you break off the excess part of the swab and throw it away.

              If you pretended to swab with the "non business end" of the swab stick, then put the 'clean' swab in the tube filled with liquid, you'd come up with a clean test.

              They're not really even watching, but since you're doing this all by yourself, it would be very easy to cheat.

              (And, no, I didn't cheat - I'm just suspicious of drug tests because somebody can always figure out a way to defeat them)
              I'm more weary of false positives for drug tests having once failed one when I was clean. I'm not saying that I never smoked one of those "left-handed Winstons" but it had been two or three years since the last time when I came up positive for a pre-employment pee test.

              I'm always still in trouble again

              "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
              "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
              "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                I'm more weary of false positives for drug tests having once failed one when I was clean. I'm not saying that I never smoked one of those "left-handed Winstons" but it had been two or three years since the last time when I came up positive for a pre-employment pee test.
                I was hired once, pending the outcome of a drug test. My new boss at one point said, "But it's going to be negative, right?" And even though I've never used illegal drugs, I had to say, "I don't know. The results haven't come back yet."

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                  I'm more weary of false positives for drug tests having once failed one when I was clean. I'm not saying that I never smoked one of those "left-handed Winstons" but it had been two or three years since the last time when I came up positive for a pre-employment pee test.
                  According to CDC, you can continue to test positive for 90 days!!!
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                    According to CDC, you can continue to test positive for 90 days!!!
                    This was after two to three years.

                    And the last I heard, depending on weight and age, up to a month.

                    I'm always still in trouble again

                    "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                    "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                    "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                      This was after two to three years.

                      And the last I heard, depending on weight and age, up to a month.
                      Ya lost me --- what was after two to three years?

                      The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post

                        Ya lost me --- what was after two to three years?
                        Two or three years since the last time I had smoked a left-handed Winston. And unlike a certain former president, I won't pretend that I didn't inhale.

                        So if tests can detect the presence up to 30 days or even 90 days later, it wouldn't for between 730 to 1095 days (or 1096 if a leap year was involved) -- hence, a false positive.

                        I'm always still in trouble again

                        "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                        "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                        "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                          Two or three years since the last time I had smoked a left-handed Winston. And unlike a certain former president, I won't pretend that I didn't inhale.

                          So if tests can detect the presence up to 30 days or even 90 days later, it wouldn't for between 730 to 1095 days (or 1096 if a leap year was involved) -- hence, a false positive.
                          Ah, gotcha!
                          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            And it continues as a lack of proof of vaccination is being increasingly used to prohibit access and movement. Go figure.

                            Source: Fake Covid Vaccination Cards Are on the Rise in the U.S., Europe[/url


                            Vaccine mandates have fueled an increase in demand for fraudulent certificates as sellers flourish online


                            As Covid-19 vaccine mandates proliferate in the U.S. and Europe, so are swindlers selling bogus vaccination certificates.

                            The U.S. government has said federal workers must be vaccinated or submit to regular testing, mask requirements and social distancing. California requires state employees to be vaccinated or tested at least once a week. New York state will soon follow and New York City plans to require proof of vaccination for customers and staff at restaurants and gyms.

                            Employers such as Walt Disney Co., Walmart Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc. are requiring vaccination for at least some of their employees.

                            Proof of vaccination is required in parts of the U.S. and Europe to dine indoors, go to museums and attend large sporting events.

                            The spread of such rules has created a market for counterfeit certificates for the unvaccinated. In recent weeks, schemes to sell illegal proof of vaccination have multiplied on social-media sites, messaging apps such as Telegram and on the dark web, according to government investigators and cybersecurity experts.

                            "As a segment of the population tries to avoid the new measures, the dark net reacts to the real market and thus demand gives birth to offers," said Dmitry Galov, a researcher at cybersecurity firm Kaspersky who has been tracking the sale of fake certificates since March.

                            In the U.S., fake vaccination cards purportedly issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have appeared for sale on sites such as Amazon, eBay and Etsy. In May, officers arrested a bar owner in California for allegedly selling fake vaccination cards costing $20 each. The alleged perpetrator was charged with identity theft, forging government documents and falsifying medical records.

                            "While we do not have definitive numbers, we are seeing more of these types of schemes recently," a Justice Department spokesman said.

                            The trade isn’t only online. Last month, the Justice Department arrested a licensed homeopathic doctor in California for allegedly selling patients what she called Covid immunization pellets. She then provided fake CDC vaccination cards that said the patients had received the Moderna vaccine. She also provided some patients with blank cards and instructions on how to complete them fraudulently by including a specific Moderna vaccine lot number.

                            In the U.S., the lack of a single federal digital card has made the work of swindlers easier. The small white cards issued by the CDC are easy to forge and weren’t intended to be a main source of proof of vaccination, according to security experts.

                            The European Union has a digital certificate with a dedicated QR code for each person. While the 27 member countries distribute their own vaccination cards, meaning there are variations in the format and where they are accepted, they use the same technology and there is a consensus on how they should be issued and used.

                            Originally thought of as a means to facilitate travel between EU countries, the certificates are now being used to ensure relative safety in situations such as indoor dining. The genuine certificates attest that somebody has been vaccinated, has newly tested negative for Covid-19 or has recovered from the disease.

                            Despite the more-secure format, fake versions of the EU digital certificate have multiplied. In Italy, there are about 30 social-media profiles purporting to sell fake certificates, about 500 of which have been sold in the past few months, according to Ivano Gabrielli, an Italian police commander who oversees online fraud investigations. Telegram is the main platform being used for the sale of the fake certificates, he said.

                            "The sellers try to get the word out by posting vague information on well-known social-media platforms, but their goal is to get you to migrate over to an encrypted messaging app," Mr. Gabrielli said.

                            A spokesman for Telegram said the company has shut down channels selling fake certificates when requested to do so by the Italian government.

                            When channels offering fake certificates do get shut down, new ones quickly appear with the same offers.

                            "At least by shutting down the accounts, we have momentarily stopped the phenomenon," said Eugenio Fusco, a Milan prosecutor who has investigated the fraudulent certificates.

                            An Italian channel on Telegram is currently advertising a digital version of a vaccine certificate for €100, the equivalent of $118, and a printed copy for €120. "Family packs" consisting of four passes can be had for €300 for digital versions and €350 for printed copies. Passes can be paid for in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and in some cases through PayPal or with Amazon gift cards.

                            The number of fraudulent sales increased significantly after Italy announced a digital certificate would be required for some events and travel, Mr. Gabrielli said. It is unlikely that the fake certificates would stand up to serious scrutiny unless hackers got into the national vaccination database and changed data there, a much more serious and technically challenging type of cybercrime, he said.

                            In France, authorities recently filed preliminary charges against six people for fraud in connection with the creation and sale of fake Covid-19 vaccination cards, according to prosecutors.

                            As of mid-July, French police had identified 400 buyers of fake vaccine cards and said the actual number could be three times higher, according to French press reports.

                            Creating or buying a fraudulent document of any sort, such as a vaccination certificate, is already punishable in France by a fine of up to €45,000 and three years in prison. A new law set to go into effect in the coming days also includes penalties specifically for presenting or offering any document based on fraudulent tests or vaccination records.

                            Fake certificates were first offered in Germany on the dark web, but there weren’t any buyers, said Miro Dittrich, a researcher at the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy in Germany. Once Germany added restrictions for the unvaccinated and the sellers migrated to Telegram, both supply and demand exploded, he said.

                            "Sellers are nimble, ready to satisfy demand that has ebbed and flowed with restrictions," said Mr. Dittrich. "One of the bitcoin wallets connected to a dealer of fake certificates had $20,000 in it. He could have been selling other stuff too like guns or drugs, we can’t be sure, but likely at least some of that came from the certificates."

                            Mr. Galov, of Kaspersky, warns that buyers of fake certificates might well obtain nothing useful.

                            "For years, people have sold counterfeit documents of all types -- things like diplomas or medical certificates," said Mr. Galov. "Some of the scams we’re seeing offering codes or certificates are similar to old ones, in that they often don’t deliver anything -- they just leave users without money or documents."



                            Source

                            © Copyright Original Source



                            When I got my shots they told me to take a picture of the card with my cellphone (not an option for me) rather than carry it around. Obviously a picture of a document is far, far easier to pass off than the document itself.




                            I'm always still in trouble again

                            "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                            "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                            "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                              And it continues as a lack of proof of vaccination is being increasingly used to prohibit access and movement. Go figure.
                              I must say, I'm shocked.
                              And stunned.
                              Shocked and stunned.

                              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                              Comment

                              widgetinstance 221 (Related Threads) skipped due to lack of content & hide_module_if_empty option.
                              Working...
                              X