The office of the Michigan Attorney General says it believes a Macomb County man posed as a woman to sell blank COVID-19 vaccination cards in a Facebook group for moms.
According to a civil action filed by the state AG, a man named Christopher Holland is accused of selling the blank cards as a woman named “Kristin Holliday” on the “Mom2MomSwap-Macomb County” Facebook page. As Holliday, Holland sold the fake cards for $25, according to a tip to the AG from a Michigan resident.
Holliday’s Facebook account purported to be a woman who lived in Saint Clair Shores, and claimed to have access to the cards due to an affiliation with Doctors Without Borders. But in investigating the tip, the office of the AG found that Holliday appeared to be a fake persona. The account was created less than two years ago, had no friends, and used a stock photo for its profile picture that was found to be from marketing materials for Hawaiian vacations.
According to the complaint, the account “[contained] just enough information to give a
superficial impression of being that of a real person.”
Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a petition in Macomb County Circuit Court in August to commence an investigation into the alleged scam. The Facebook account was deactivated on Sept. 1, 2021.
In September, the Court issued an order authorizing investigative subpoenas on the petition, which allowed the Department of Attorney General to ask Facebook and internet providers for more information about the fake account, leading investigators to Holland, the AG says.
Ostensibly, Holland was selling the cards so people could show apparent proof of vaccination without actually getting vaccinated.
“The availability of vaccines that are safe and effective in limiting the spread and severity of the Coronavirus have had the unfortunate side effect of creating a black market for fake vaccination cards and for real vaccination cards that can be filled in with false information by the purchaser,” according to the civil action filed against Holland by the Michigan Attorney General.
However, “Fake vaccination cards pose a serious public health threat and endanger the lives of Michiganders,” the complaint continues, though it added, “Based on this investigation, it appears the Kristin Holliday persona was created not to undermine the public health, but to financially exploit the residents of Macomb County.”
According to the complaint, “Holland used the Mom2MomSwap-Macomb County marketplace in an effort to entice purchasers of a good that would likely never be delivered.”
The civil action seeks to declare that Holland engaged in unlawful conduct in violation of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA) and be permanently enjoined from engaging in conduct in violation of the MCPA. It also seeks to permanently enjoin Holland from selling goods and services, whether online or elsewhere in the state of Michigan, by using false or misleading information about his identity, and require Holland to pay attorney fees, investigation costs, and other costs incurred by the Department of Attorney General in conjunction with this action.
“We continue to see scams related to COVID-19 surface in Michigan,” Nessel said in a statement. “Let this be a warning to those who try to profit from the pandemic. We will continue to dig into complaints and vigorously pursue those who violate the MCPA.”
Nessel added, “During this pandemic, it has become a growing trend for fraudsters to take a grass-roots approach to their schemes by infiltrating neighborhood chat groups and other local social media.”
The office of the AG says anyone with knowledge of COVID-related scams should file a complaint online with the Department or call 877-765-8388.
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This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2022.
