American tourists caught sneaking into Canada with fake vaccine documents -- and get fined $20,000 each

Bob Brigham
July 30, 2021

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie

Canada has fined two Americans for providing counterfeit fake vaccination documents and lying about being tested before traveling, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports.

"The Public Health Agency of Canada says the travelers also didn't comply with requirements to stay at a government authorized hotel or to get tested upon arrival," the outlet reported. "Canada eased quarantine requirements on July 5 for fully vaccinated Canadians and foreign nationals with an exemption to enter the country, but they must upload their proof of vaccination documents to the ArriveCAN app before entry."

Each traveler was fined a total of $19,720, though the Public Health Agency of Canada noted the two could've been fined $750,000 and sentenced to six months in prison under the country's Quarantine Act.

On Saturday, the watchdog group Media Matters for America reported that Google is profiting from ads for counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards.

"Google Shopping lists a counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination card as the first sponsored result under the search terms 'blank vaccination card,' 'blank cdc card,' 'cdc card,' and 'vaccination card.' The 'sponsored' label on the section indicates that Google is 'compensated for clicks' on the ads and that 'advertiser payment to Google may also influence how items are ranked and grouped' in results," MMFA reported.

"The product appears to carry the logos of the Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The product title says, 'Fill the information yourself.' According to the website, all of the most recent transactions come from buyers in the United States. The lowest price for the counterfeit cards is $0.99 for a set of 20," MMFA added.