Following the announcement of Moscow’s mayor to make vaccinations against COVID-19 a requirement for workers in almost all sectors, deceivers were quick to react.
Russian employed in restaurants and bars suddenly saw that they are being followed by accounts carrying COVID-19 vaccination certificates advertisements.
This gave birth to a fresh black market with enormous potential customers, mostly made of Russians who are not yet sure to get a vaccine shot.
The Washington Post received a private conversation of one bartender with their account, as he inquired about the price of the fake vaccine certificate.
The bartender did not wait long to get a response revealing that it only needs $25, along with the worker’s personal information, to generate the certificate.
The rise of deceivers making money on vaccination certificates has followed the order that 60 percent of the employees who are mingling with the public should be vaccinated. Included in the group are salespeople, teachers, vehicle drivers, among others, whose employees may face fines if they can’t get a shot.
Taking effect on Monday, the new rule also asks restaurants and bars to only accept people with vaccine certificates or proof that they are negative from the virus. Moscow also said it may reject unvaccinated people to receive routine medicare care in hospitals.
But not all people have agreed to this rule, with some claiming they fear the vaccine more than being infected. This made them opt to buy fake vaccination certificates instead.
“I’ve been partying since last summer, and I’ve been interacting with a lot of people, including those who actually had covid-19,” the 23-year-old Anna said, who also purchased a false vaccine certificate.
“I didn’t get sick. I don’t have antibodies. So, I just made a conclusion that maybe I’m just not prone to getting it. Why should I get the vaccine if my body works well without it?” she raised. “I just don’t trust it that much.”
