Those dealers would buy the fake documentation in bulk and resell it.
Since then, the activity has shifted to groups on Telegram, an encrypted messaging app.
The groups offer anonymity, as well as bigger reach and scale.
Over the past month, the number of sellers on Telegram has jumped tenfold to about 10,000.
Representatives of Telegram didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
The spread of fake vaccine documentation online is part of a broader problem authorities have tried to combat.
The FBI has warned aboutvaccine scamsand has disrupted online frauds that used the pandemic toraise false donations.
The Biden administration’s plan is designed to address both the surgingdelta variantand theslowing pace of vaccinationsin the US.
In total, the plan could reach up to 100 million people, roughly two-thirds of the US workforce.
The market for fake documents is expanding globally.
