Police of Chernihiv region exposed network of sale of Covid certificates to unvaccinated citizens
Police officers have exposed in Chernihiv a group of persons who created an illegal scheme to sell COVID certificates without vaccination. For a fee, attackers entered customer data into the Electronic Health System. In the last two months alone, the criminal profit exceeded 500 thousand hryvnias.
The network of sales of COVID certificates was exposed by the Criminal Investigation Department and the Investigative Department of the GUNP in the Chernihiv region, the department of combating cybercrimes in the Chernihiv region.
The pre-trial investigation continues under the procedural direction of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
As established by law enforcement officers, the scheme for the production of fake certificates was organized by the 52-year-old owner of the travel agency. She offered customers to purchase a certificate without getting vaccinated. Some customers purposefully turned to this travel company only for forged documents, although they were not going to travel anywhere.
The defendant conspired with a Chernihiv doctor and nurse, who entered information about the alleged vaccination in electronic registers. After that, doctors issued signed and stamped paper COVID certificates. And since the false data was contained in the electronic database, the application “Action” also confirmed the existence of a vaccination certificate from an actually unvaccinated person.
The cost of one fake certificate was $250 for the customer. On average, 20 fake certificates were produced per day.
Thus, in the last two months alone, the owner of the travel agency and several doctors received more than 500,000 hryvnias from illegal activities. They took money from customers exclusively in cash.
On October 25, law enforcement officers conducted simultaneous searches in the offices of medical workers, in the office of the travel agency and at the homes of all defendants. According to the results, computers, seals, copies of documents and medical declarations, bank cards, mobile phones and issued COVID certificates were seized.
On this fact, criminal proceedings were opened under Part 3 of Art. 362 (Unauthorized actions with information that is processed in computers, automated systems, computer networks or stored on media of such information, committed by a person who has the right to access it) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The sanction of the article provides for up to six years in prison with deprivation of the right to engage in certain activities for a period of up to three years. Investigative actions are ongoing.
Police of Chernihiv region
