A registered nurse from a veteran’s hospital in Detroit pleaded guilty to charges related to COVID-19 vaccination record cards fraud. According to court records, the woman admitted to stealing or embezzling authentic COVID-19 vaccination record cards from the hospital—along with vaccine lot numbers necessary to make the cards appear legitimate—and then reselling those cards and information to individuals within the metro Detroit community. Her theft of the cards began at least as early as May 2021 and continued through September 2021. She sold the cards for $150–$200 each and communicated with buyers primarily via Facebook Messenger.
Investigation of the case was conducted by the US Department of Veterans Affairs-Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), VA Police Detroit and the Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership among the Criminal Division, US Attorney’s Offices, and US Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Legitimate vaccination cards are being stolen from healthcare facilities and then used in a fraudulent manner. Employees and applicants of healthcare facilities must provide truthful information regarding their vaccination status and understand the penalties for engaging in fraud. When copies of COVID-19 vaccination cards are presented by the person claiming to have completed the requirements, it is essential that the documentation is reviewed for authenticity. Participating in the fraud can result in the person(s) being prosecuted. Report allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
Discussion Points
- Review your policies and procedures related to storage of blank vaccination cards, and staff and resident vaccination documents. Include guidance on secure storage of the vaccination cards and on verifying whether or not vaccination cards are authentic as presented to the facility. Update your policies as needed.
- Train appropriate staff to provide safekeeping of blank vaccination cards and to check for authenticity of COVID-19 vaccination records. Make sure staff understand the penalties for COVID-19 vaccination record card fraud and their responsibility to report concerns to their supervisor, compliance and ethics officer, or through the Hotline. Document that this training occurred and place the signed copy of the training record in the employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit to ensure that COVID-19 vaccination records are authentic, and that blank vaccination cards are secure and all accounted for.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
