AMSTERDAM - Health service GGD reported "several dozen" people to the police for buying counterfeit Covid-19 vaccination certificates offered on chat service Telegram, umbrella organization GGD GHOR Nederland confirmed to NU.nl.

The counterfeit vaccination certificates were used to get the green tick in the CoronaCheck app, so that people could travel abroad or attend major events without being fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Yellow vaccination booklets were also offered for sale on Telegram.

News program Shownieuws anonymously contacted one of the people offering these fake proof of vaccinations for sale. The seller said that for 250 euros, they could arrange a vaccination registration through the GGD system. That registration can be used to get the green tick on the app.

The sellers "actually delivered something that had to pass for a vaccination certificate," the GGD said to NU.nl. The health service did not say how the fraud was discovered, or whether any of the sellers have been identified.