Two individuals have been charged in connection with the creation and sale of fake Covid-19 vaccination records during the pandemic. Waqas Hanif, 26, and Touqir Nasir, 29, are set to appear at Luton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, facing charges under the Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
A joint investigation by the NCA and NHS England uncovered nearly 2,000 fraudulent vaccination records at a health center in Luton between June and October 2021. In addition to the fake documents, investigators also seized £145,000 in cash from a safety deposit box in Luton.
During the height of the pandemic, unvaccinated individuals reportedly paid for genuine vaccine passport records, illegally sourced from online marketplaces, to bypass travel restrictions.
Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, stated, “Receiving a vaccine is a matter of individual choice. However, abusing our healthcare system to help unvaccinated people evade restrictions is illegal. This investigation has been crucial in safeguarding our communities and preventing criminals from exploiting the pandemic.”
Hanif, of Sherwood Road in Luton, was arrested by NCA officers in January 2022, while Nasir, of Runley Road, voluntarily attended an interview in March 2022. Both have been charged with conspiracy to unauthorised computer access with intent to commit further offences, fraud by false representation, and related crimes. Hanif additionally faces charges for possession of criminal property.