Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Now that Covid-19 infections have increased in Mexico, several states are requiring a vaccination certificate or negative PCR test to enter bars, clubs, casinos, stadiums, conventions, concerts and other business establishments. Unsurprisingly, this has resulted in an increase in the number of falsified documents available on the black market and on the Internet, mainly through social media networks.
The vaccination certificate is an official and free document that is delivered by the Mexican government as a guarantee that you are fully immunized against Covid-19 and can travel freely through the countries that have approved the biological that you received. It can only be obtained by those who have completed the single (CanSino, J&J) or two dose vaccine schedule.
Many countries request vaccination certificates from tourists who want to vacation or from workers who come for business. And that is a document in which the federal government keeps a record of the doses you have, the brand of biological that they gave you, and when the shots were administered.
Although the certificates are issued free of charge by the Mexican government, given the new measures, many people who do not want to be vaccinated, do not have the complete scheme, missed the immunization date or want to change the type of vaccine they received, are choosing to buy a false certificate or falsified test results.
How much does a fake vaccination certificate cost?
On the black market (all ways that are not legal) a vaccination certificate costs somewhere between 400 and 1,000 pesos. In others, like in Plaza Santo Domingo in Mexico City, a place famous for offering false documents, the price ranges from 500 to 4,000 pesos. The cost is greatly influenced by the degree of resemblance to the original.
How to differentiate a false vaccination certificate from a real one
In the first place, the official document can only be obtained through the official website cvcovid.salud.gob.mx, by entering the Unique Population Registry Code (CURP), the document is free and will arrive at the email registered in the vaccination process. It is worth mentioning that they are not sold anywhere.
The official certificate has a QR code that allows verification, in real time, by any immigration authority. When you scan the code directly, it directs you to the SSA website, where a self-completed questionnaire is displayed and you have the option to download it as a PDF. If it is a fake document, this is not the case, because it does not open any page and says “QR not detected” or “no usable data found”. In addition, the color of the letters, typography and QR code is larger in the fake certificate than in the original.
What penalties are there if you present a fake document?
In accordance with article 243 of the Penal Code, the crime of forgery of public documents is punishable by 4 to 8 years in prison. In the case of private documents, a prison sentence ranging from 6 months to 6 years is paid. Given this, it is better not to fall into illicit practices.
Sources: Actualidad • Vallarta Independiente
