GREENSBORO, N.C. — A new PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll says 30 percent of Americans do not plan on getting the vaccine, so there's a big market for fake vaccination proof cards. And they aren't hard to find.
All it took was a 10-second search, and you see the blank vaccination cards for sale costing anywhere from $15 to just under $200.
We're not the only ones who noticed. On Twitter, people are laying all their cards out in the open - writing "I'ma need a fake vaccine card, who got the plug?" Others even tweeting links to "download a blank forge-able covid vaccine card" for free.
"It's a morally bankrupt thing to do to sell a fake vaccine card," said North Carolina's Attorney General Josh Stein. His office is opening an investigation after we sent him our findings.
"If anyone out there sees anyone selling one of these cards, let my office know because it's a violation of state law," he said. "It would be deceptive. You cannot sell a card purporting to be from the CDC if you are not the CDC."
Sellers could face a fine of $5,000 per violation. But Stein says there's an even bigger cost if you buy one of these fakes.
"Once we're all vaccinated, the sooner we can defeat this virus. If people are out there with fake ID cards, it's more likely new variations will arise. More people will die as a result," he said. "Of course, no one should buy one of these fake cards. Get the real vaccine. Get the real card. It's free!"