From Thursday, the Austrian police will check the authenticity of covid certificates more often. “In the last six months alone, we have found about 400 forged documents,” said the head of the public security service Franz Roof at a press conference in Vienna on Wednesday.
“You better not do this anymore! – Karl Nehammer, head of the Home Office, warned users of false evidence during a conference call on Wednesday. – The likelihood of being caught will be very high. This is not a joke, ”he added.
Nehammer stressed that the arrest would jeopardize “the production, distribution or use of forged documents.” It will be a crime not only to forge documents or data about them, but also to “use third-party identifiers.” These crimes can be punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment, in addition, “violation of anti-vision rules can be punished with a fine of up to 500 euros,” said Nehammer.
As Nehammer and Ruf explained at the conference, the number of infections in the country is growing, and at the same time, “there is an increase in the number of falsified 3G certification.” “This is a big problem, so it was decided to take active steps,” Nehammer said and stressed that in this regard, in particular, the catering industry will be checked.
400 forgeries
A corresponding “decisive action” order will be sent to police departments in all federal states on Wednesday, Roof said. As early as next Thursday, the Police Authority (LPD) will begin implementing “priority actions in close cooperation with the health authorities.” For this, “an appropriate number of officials” will be involved, as well as the criminal police at the federal and national levels.
Roof announced new checks from Thursday. Not only QR codes for Green Pass are checked, but also classic vaccination documents and photographs in documents.
The figure of 400 forgeries discovered in the past six months is “significant.” “We have to assume there is a large number of undiagnosed cases,” Roof said. – There is a great demand on social media for falsified certificates. It sells fake vaccination certificates, Roof explained, declining to provide details for operational reasons.