Two men have been charged in connection with the alleged creation of thousands of fake Covid 19 vaccination records, which allowed people to travel when restrictions were in place during the pandemic. The National Crime Agency and NHS England investigated the making and sale of almost 2,000 fraudulent records at a health centre in Luton between June and October 2021, and the seizure of £145,000 in cash from a safety deposit box in the town.
Waqas Hanif, 26, of Sherwood Road, Luton, was arrested by NCA officers in January 2022, while Touqir Nasir, 29, of Runley Road, Luton, attended a voluntary interview in March 2022. Both men have been charged with offences under the Computer Misuse Act and Fraud Act and are due to appear at Luton Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (9 January).
Deputy Director Paul Foster, Head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Receiving a vaccine is a matter of individual choice. However, abusing our healthcare system to facilitate unvaccinated individuals to bypass restrictions that are in place to protect the British public is illegal.
“Working closely with the NHS England Counter Fraud Team, this investigation has helped to secure the safety of our communities by preventing organised criminals from further undermining the national pandemic response and benefitting financially from the damaging service they provided.”