Thousands of fake Covid-19 certificates uncovered in Switzerland
The lastest fake certificate scam is the largest yet to be discovered in Switzerland.
Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
Criminal proceedings have been launched in Switzerland following the discovery of around 8,000 fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates that were issued in the eastern canton of St Gallen.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
Español
es
Miles de certificados COVID-19 falsos descubiertos en Suiza
Police believe the forged documents were handed out by people working at private test centres that had access to the national certificate issuing system. It is assumed that the fraud was a money-making scam with recipients being charged for the fakes.
This is not the first time that police have uncovered fake certificate scams in Switzerland, but it is the largest operation that has come to light so far.
Fraudulent schemes in cantons Vaud, Geneva and Schaffhausen have involved no more than a few hundred certificates.
The St Gallen fake certificates have all been cancelled, the authorities said on Thursday. No forgeries had been issued from official cantonal testing centres.
Both the people who made the forgeries and anyone who knowingly accepted them face potential jail terms or fines if found guilty.
Around 67% of the Swiss population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus and 20% of people have received booster jabs so far.
The number of new infections has been creeping up in recent weeks, reaching 11,451 cases on Thursday.
On December 20, the government ordered fresh restrictions on public and private gatherings. The new rules are largely aimed at unvaccinated people.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
Switzerland is Europe’s most innovative country, EU study finds
This content was published on
In the European Commission's annual ranking, the Swiss score dropped slightly in 2025, but not enough to cost it top spot.
Women’s Euro 2025 has been largely peaceful so far
This content was published on
After two weeks of football fever in various Swiss host cities, no major incidents have been reported so far, police say.
Planned solar park at Bern airport scaled back after talks
This content was published on
The ground-mounted plant at Belpmoos Airport will be smaller than originally planned, the parties involved said on Tuesday.
Covid-19: Switzerland tightens restrictions for the unvaccinated
This content was published on
Switzerland to restrict access to restaurants, bars, cultural and sports facilities to vaccinated people or those recently recovered from infection.
This content was published on
Around 750 appeals, many identical, have been filed with the cantons against next Sunday’s vote in Switzerland on the Covid-19 law.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.