Two men have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in a scheme that generated and sold over 2,000 fake COVID-19 vaccination records during the pandemic. Waqas Hanif and Touqir Nasir admitted to offenses under the Fraud Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act, with Hanif also pleading guilty to a charge under the Computer Misuse Act.
Hanif, 28, a former vaccination programme care co-ordinator at Kingsway Health Centre in Luton, Bedfordshire, was linked to 2,663 suspicious entries created in 2021. An investigation found that 1,875 of these entries were connected to IP addresses associated with Hanif's home. He possessed site administrator rights to Pinnacle, the NHS system used for recording vaccinations.
Investigators discovered a safety deposit box registered in Hanif's name containing £136,405 in cash. Following his arrest in January 2022, officers found his NHS ID card, £7,000 in cash, NHS documents, and an application form for a safe deposit facility. CCTV footage confirmed Hanif accessing his storage box multiple times. His fingerprints were found on some of the banknotes, and his mobile phone contained approximately 250 images of personal details for around 340 individuals.
During an interview, Hanif claimed he created the false records under duress from local criminals who paid for the certificates. The pair advertised the fake documents online, charging clients up to £150 for a two-dose vaccination record.
Nasir, 31, used a bank account opened under the identity of Adam Parker, having changed his name by deed poll, to funnel tens of thousands of pounds into the operation. Approximately £56,000 was deposited into this account, with most transactions ranging from £100 to £400, suspected to be payments for the fraudulent records. Bank statements also revealed a £1,000 transfer to Hanif, identified as payment for records Nasir had facilitated.
Deputy Director Paul Foster of the National Crime Agency's National Cyber Crime Unit stated that the men "cynically abused our healthcare system for financial gain" and that their actions undermined the national pandemic response. The joint investigation by the NCA and NHS England was initiated due to concerns about unvaccinated individuals purchasing vaccination passport records advertised on social media platforms.
Authorities suspect that organized criminals recruited or collaborated with non-clinical staff to produce the fraudulent records. Hanif was sentenced to three years in prison, while Nasir received a ten-month sentence, suspended for one year, and a six-month curfew. The scheme allowed unvaccinated individuals to potentially travel abroad or gather in groups, posing a risk to public health.