Two arrested for selling fake Covid-19 negative test certificates

Financial crimes agency FIOD arrested two men suspected of selling falsified coronavirus test result certificates via social media. A 22-year-old man from Baarn and a 22-year-old man from Utrecht were being held on suspicion of forgery.

The alleged fraud was discovered after police bought a falsified negative test result from one of the men anonymously. The test highly resembled a genuine one and included names and signatures of doctors and laboratories. "However, these doctors and laboratories appear to have nothing to do with this," FIOD stated.

The men allegedly offered the tests for a price that was considerably cheaper than that of commercial providers. Further investigation will reveal the exact scale of the fraud, FIOD said. Searches have been carried out at the homes of both suspects, with investigators seizing computers and mobile phones.

The agency said that buying falsified negative test results and using them is also illegal, just like producing and selling the fake documents. The investigation will therefore also focus on the identities of the buyers.

"If someone travels without knowing whether they are infected with the coronavirus, they take the risk that they can infect others. This poses a threat to public health," FIOD stated

FIOD collaborated with a specialized investigative service within the police department of The Hague, and also the Public Prosecution Service.