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Since the Covid passport has been introduced in around half of the autonomous communities in Spain for entry into various venues such as bars and restaurants, the document has become a hot commodity, so it was really only a matter of time before wily criminals began exploiting this need.

 

The National Police have arrested six suspects in Madrid and Barcelona accused of falsifying Covid passports as part of the first criminal network of its kind in Spain. The authorities believe they have uncovered a vast illicit network at European level that has not only issued hundreds of false documents, but has also facilitated the fraudulent registration of at least 1,600 people in the National Vaccination Registry with the help of official health personnel.

 

The network, which was advertised through instant messaging apps and deliberately targeted so-called ‘denialist’ groups, particularly reached out to wealthy individuals and offered not only false vaccination certificates, but fake PCR tests and official registration with Spain’s Ministry of Health; popular vocalist Omar Montes is currently among those under investigation for enlisting the services of this criminal organisation.

 

In Spain, those arrested face charges of documentary falsification and crimes against public health, accusations that could also be faced shortly by the hundreds of people who throughout Spain obtained false immunisation documentation.

 

The most disturbing aspect for investigators is that key health personnel were involved in providing the illegal documents, and the police now suspect that the criminal gang persuaded official staff to hand over access codes to the national registry.

 

The prices of the fraudulent paperwork varied between 50 and 1,000 euros, with wealthier clients charged a premium so that their details were entered on Spain’s national health registry as having received two Covid jabs. In addition, the researchers were able to verify that, in most cases, the members of the organisation demanded payment in cryptocurrencies, through accounts they had opened in third countries to make tracking by the authorities more complicated.

 

See also: How to obtain a Covid passport and How to book a vaccination appointment in Spain

 

Image: Archive