Met Police investigating fake Covid vaccine records arrest three people
14 December 2021, 19:41
The Metropolitan Police has arrested three people as part of investigations into suspected fake COVID-19 vaccination records.
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Officers from the Cyber Crime Unit made three arrests on Tuesday after staff at a London NHS trust noticed a suspicious pattern on some online vaccination records.
A 27-year-old man and a 23-year-old man, both from Ilford, were arrested for unauthorised computer access and conspiracy to commit fraud by misrepresentation.
Police confirmed that searches at a residential property are underway and 11 devices have been seized.
A 36-year-old man from also Ilford was arrested on suspicion of unauthorised computer access and conspiracy to commit fraud by misrepresentation in an unrelated investigation.
Three devices were seized and officers are searching a residential address.
The arrests followed a member of staff from a different NHS trust noticing suspicious vaccination records on their online system.
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All three remain in custody while the two separate investigations continue.
Detective Superintendent Helen Rance from the central Cyber Crime Team said: "It is concerning that individuals may have fraudulently created false COVID-19 vaccination records during a time when levels of the virus are rising.
"The staff at both Trusts did the right thing and reported their concerns which has allowed us to fully investigate the circumstances.
"I want to reassure the public that no systems were hacked into from outside of the NHS networks and the integrity of the NHS systems remains robust."
The arrests come as new restrictions come into force from Wednesday, requiring some venues to check the vaccination status of the public.
The Covid pass scheme will apply to:
- nightclubs
- indoor unseated venues with more than 500 people
- unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people
- any venue with more than 10,000 people
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