Now booming on Moscow’s black market: Fake vaccine certificates
It took just a few hours for fraudsters to act after Moscow's mayor announced this month that coronavirus vaccinations were compulsory for most of the city's service sector employees. Accounts advertising the availability of fake coronavirus vaccination certificates suddenly appeared as social media followers of Russians who identified as working in restaurants or bars.
A new black market was born with a deep potential clientele: the many Russians still hesitant to be vaccinated even amid a surge in coronavirus cases. One bartender, who provided The Washington Post with a copy of his private messages on Instagram, sent a query to one account about the cost of a fraudulent vaccination certificate. The response was immediate: The price was the equivalent of about $25, and the bartender just needed to provide his personal information. The bartender spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss engaging in an illegal operation.
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