Gang Arrested in France for Hacking Doctors' Identities to Forge and Sell COVID Vaccine Passes to Over 60,000 People

35 Doctors' Accounts Hacked... Forging and Issuing COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates

On the 16th (local time), protesters held a demonstration in front of the Palais Bourbon, where the French capital Paris's parliament is located, against the COVID-19 vaccination certificate system. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] A group that sold forged COVID-19 vaccination certificates using stolen doctor identities to more than 62,000 people in France has been arrested.

On the 26th (local time), according to local media such as France Info Radio, the French military police arrested five suspects in their 20s in Paris, Lyon, and other locations on charges of issuing fake vaccination certificates by stealing doctors' identities.

Among them, three were hackers. They are accused of unauthorized access to the accounts of 35 doctors and forging COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

In France, a vaccination certificate in the form of a QR code is required to use multi-use facilities and long-distance public transportation. The French government currently estimates that 200,000 fake vaccination certificates are circulating nationwide.

Those caught using forged vaccination certificates face a fine of 1,000 euros (approximately 1.35 million KRW). However, if they get vaccinated within 30 days after being caught, they do not have to pay the fine.

As of the 25th, 91% of the population aged 12 and over in France have completed COVID-19 vaccination. The cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is 17,730,556, ranking fourth worldwide and the highest in Europe. The cumulative death toll is 129,747, ranking 12th globally.

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