‘I’m gonna be rich.’ Man offered fake COVID vaccine cards at ‘$75 a pop,’ feds say
A 23-year-old man from Maryland is facing federal charges after prosecutors said he ordered hundreds of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards and tried to sell them on social media.
Amar Salim Shabazz, of Owings Mills, Maryland, was on probation for child pornography charges when prosecutors said he concocted a scheme to buy the fake cards from China and sell them on Facebook and Instagram for anywhere from $60 to $75. Many of the cards had “COVID” misspelled on them, according to court documents.
Shabazz was charged with mail fraud and obstruction of justice in a criminal complaint unsealed on Dec. 3.
Shabazz could not be reached for comment, and a public defender representing him declined to comment in a statement to McClatchy News.
According to an affidavit filed alongside the complaint, Shabazz was sentenced in state court for possession of child pornography in April and came under supervision from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.
The phone number and email address he provided to DPS were also registered to Instagram, Facebook, and Google accounts under the name “Ybn Ace,” which investigators said was Shabazz’s “rap name.”
Shabazz used his Google account to search “fake covid vaccination record card” on YouTube in June, the affidavit states. Within a few days, investigators said, he placed a $15 order from a Chinese online marketplace that sells — among other things — fake COVID-19 vaccine cards.
Shabazz received the shipment on July 10 and posted an Instagram video offering to sell them at “$75 a pop,” according to the affidavit.
In the weeks that followed, Shabazz reportedly listed the cards for sale in the comments section of social media posts and YouTube videos. He also shared three photos on his personal Facebook page of news articles discussing vaccine requirements in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
The photos were captioned, “Who need a vaccination card to bypass the bs they starting to do with our ‘freedom’. DM NOW FOR PRICE,” investigators said.
Shabazz sold out of the fraudulent cards in August — a fact he advertised on social media, according to the affidavit. He then told a friend in a message on Instagram that he “made 300 today” and “just bought 500 more cards,” followed by the calculation “60x500 is $30k.”
“I’m gonna be rich,” Shabazz reportedly said during the message exchange.
The new shipment, however, was intercepted at the border by U.S. Customs officials, investigators said. Law enforcement then replaced the fake vaccination cards with a box of disposable face masks before delivering it to Shabazz’s mom’s house —a point he lamented in Instagram messages with a friend.
“My mom got my cards in her mailbox and she ain’t tryna give it to me,” he reportedly said.
“Lmao,” the friend said in response. “She tired of you sellin fake stuff and getting yaself in trouble.”
Shabazz ultimately succeeded in ordering fake vaccine cards at the end of August and again in September, which he sold to people in New Jersey, North Carolina and Illinois using the alias “Kevin Anderson,” investigators said. He later lamented not selling the cards for more money after discovering two women had been caught selling fake vaccine cards for $200 each.
“I’m raising my price today, starting today, man,” Shabazz reportedly said in voice messages to a friend. “... I want that 200 a piece yo! Yo they makin’ cheese yo!”
Law enforcement searched his mom’s home at the end of September, including the basement where Shabazz was reportedly living and his Lexus in the driveway. In addition to dozens of fake COVID-19 vaccine cards, investigators said, they found handwritten notes with titles such as “Things Im doing when I get out (updated)“ and “SCAM Life/Legit.”
The notes discussed buying burner phones “for scamming,” purchasing guns on the dark web and listing his address as a registered sex offender at his dad’s house while actually staying with his mom.
One bullet point reportedly read, “Hire a lawyer and get tips of what not to do when getting money illegally.”
After the search, prosecutors said Shabazz deleted his accounts connected to the alleged fraud, changed his names on social media and researched the penalties for selling fake COVID-19 vaccine cards.
He was charged in a criminal complaint filed Nov. 24, court filings show.
If convicted, Shabazz faces up to 20 years in prison on each count of mail fraud and obstructing justice, though prosecutors said his actual sentence will likely be less than the maximum penalty.
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 3:32 PM with the headline "‘I’m gonna be rich.’ Man offered fake COVID vaccine cards at ‘$75 a pop,’ feds say."
