"Received Money and Injected Empty Syringe After Removing Vaccine Liquid"…Vaccine Fraud Surges in Italy

Among Those Caught Are Nurses and Police Officers as Well

A nurse in Rome, Italy is preparing a syringe for a COVID-19 vaccination. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Various fraudulent schemes to avoid COVID-19 vaccination are rampant, including a nurse in Italy caught charging money to inject empty syringes.

According to local media such as the daily La Repubblica on the 22nd (local time), the police in Sicily arrested a current nurse on charges of falsely administering vaccines to some citizens in exchange for money.

The nurse, who works at a vaccination center in Palermo, helped people avoid vaccination by injecting empty syringes without vaccine fluid into their arms. More than 10 cases of confirmed false vaccinations have been reported, and the nurse is said to have received up to 400 euros (about 540,000 KRW) per session.

According to local media, among those caught were another nurse and a police officer. In Italy, nurses and police officers are required to be vaccinated.

The crime was fully captured by cameras secretly installed by the police inside the vaccination center. The police reportedly installed the cameras to secure evidence after receiving reports of the nurse’s misconduct.

In Italy, without a "vaccine pass" (Green Pass or immunity certificate), access to indoor restaurants, cultural, and sports facilities is restricted. This quarantine policy, introduced in August, is credited with raising Italy’s vaccination completion rate to 80% of the total population (about 59.3 million).

However, fraudulent methods to obtain certificates without vaccination are emerging one after another, prompting judicial authorities to strengthen crackdowns.

Earlier this month, a man in his 50s was caught attempting vaccination while wearing a silicone prosthesis on his arm, and a doctor was arrested on charges of issuing false vaccination certificates for money. Last month, a 17-year-old boy living near Rome was booked on charges of conspiring with Russian hackers to sell fake vaccine passes online, earning about 20,000 euros (about 27.26 million KRW) in illicit profits.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.