Couple arrested in Hawaii for vacationing with fake vaccination cards

A Florida couple has been arrested in Hawaii after allegedly using fake Covid vaccination cards for themselves and their two children.

The family presented the cards at the airport, where a staff member noticed the ages of the children, who were born in 2016 and 2017. Vaccines are not yet available in the US for children under the age of 12.

"The screener at the airport when they came through noticed an anomaly about the age of the children and the vaccine," Special Agent Joe Logan with the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office told NBC Miami. "And that’s how we got involved."

Enzo Dalmazzo, 43, and Daniela Dalmazzo, 31, were taken into custody shortly after they arrived in Honolulu and charged on counts of presenting false documents. They were jailed on a total bail of $8,000 and have since been released.

Hawaii’s Safe Travels program says visitors must show proof of vaccination card or a negative coronavirus test taken no more than 72 hours before a trip if they want to avoid a 10-day quarantine on arrival.

This was the second known case of holidaymakers using falsified documents to avoid quarantine requirements in Hawaii; a California father and son were also arrested this week for doing so.

Falsified vaccination cards are an issue that authorities are becoming increasingly concerned about.

In May this year, the FBI released a statement saying: “Vaccination cards are intended to provide recipients of the coronavirus vaccine with important information regarding the type of vaccine they received and their dates of inoculation.”

“The creation, purchase, or sale of vaccine cards by individuals is illegal and endangers public safety. The unauthorized use of an official government agency’s seal on such cards is a crime… penalties may include hefty fines and prison time.”