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Pittsburgh CBP Officers Seize Counterfeit COVID-19 Vaccination Cards from China

Release Date
Wed, 09/15/2021

PITTSBURGH – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized the second of two shipments of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards in Pittsburgh on September 7.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Pittsburgh seized 70 counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards on September 7 that shipped from China and were destined to an address in Beaver County, Pa.
CBP seized 70 counterfeit COVID-19
vaccination cards shipped from China.

The two international mail parcels contained a combined 70 fake COVID vaccination cards. CBP officers seized the first parcel of 20 cards on August 24 after they determined that the cards presented a low-quality appearance and that they were being imported by a consignee who is not from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or a certified medical entity.

CBP officers placed a hold on a second shipment destined to the same Beaver County, Pa., consignee. That parcel of 50 fake COVID cards arrived on Tuesday. Both parcels were shipped from China.

An investigation continues.

The FBI has warned the public that buying, selling, or using a counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards endangers and places others at risk, and breaks our nation’s laws.

CBP officers in Chicago, Memphis and Anchorage, Alaska, have seized more than 6,000 counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards.

“Coronavirus and its variants continues to pose a serious health and safety threat to American citizens, and so do unscrupulous vendors who peddle counterfeit COVID vaccination cards,” said William Fitting, CBP’s Port Director in Pittsburgh. “Customs and Border Protection will continue to intercept counterfeit goods, such as these fake vaccine cards, that threaten our nation, our people and our economy.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Pittsburgh seized 70 counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards on September 7 that shipped from China and were destined to an address in Beaver County, Pa.
The fake vaccination cards were destined to
an address in Beaver County, Pa.

CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality. Learn more about what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2020.

Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore and on Instagram at @dfobaltimore for breaking news, current events, human-interest stories and photos.

 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

Last Modified: Sep 29, 2022