Fake vaccine cards on the rise
Fake vaccine cards are being sold and used everyday but it could be challenging trying to tell the two apart.
Attorney Justin Markota of Betras, Kopp and Harshman law firm tells 21 News there's a few ways you might be able to spot a difference.
"The best tip would be to know and study the face of a document," said Markota. "Check the paper, ink, embossed nature of the logo or angles, I mean there's usually something off," he said.
Markota says it may be minute, but there's usually one thing the real card has that the fake one doesn't and you just have to know the difference.
For those thinking the penalties for having or distributing fake vaccine cards might just be a slap on the wrist, Markota says otherwise. He tells 21 News you could be looking at both state and federal charges and even jail time.
"The problem with state and federal crimes is that both can charge you, it's not double jeopardy," said Markota. "So, you get convicted in a state court for fake medicare or a fake vaccine card, and the federal government could turn around and indict you for the same thing and the penalties stack," he said.
Those stacked penalties can include falsification, fraud, forgery, 5 years in prison and a 5,000 dollar fine.
"Faking the logo of a federal agency on some type of document is a crime, if you kind of put the scales of justice up there and weigh the pros verses the cons, I can affirmatively tell you that the cons outweigh what the benefit could be," Markota said.