2020 saw the emergence of many small home businesses on Instagram – something that can be called the Circuit Breaker effect, where people started to realise their talent for baking or sewing during the increased hours spent at home.
While most tried to earn some cash from selling their baked goods, handmade bags and masks or even T-shirts, this particular account instead decided to monetise upon the very pandemic we’ve all been trying to find ways around.
Forged COVID-19 PCR Test Results Service
Forget forging your parents’ signatures on test papers where you did badly in – now there’s even a way for people to forge COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results.
Popular doctor-slash-Instagram-influencer Tirta Mandira Hudhi took to his Instagram to share a post of an Instagram story screenshot from the account @hanzdays, in which the latter boasted about providing services where counterfeit test result certificates could be produced.
Calling out the user for endangering the public and using the COVID-19 situation to his advantage and profit from it, Tirta wrote: “Do not take advantage of COVID-19 for such a matter. Are you aware of how many people have been disadvantaged by this? Who lined up [for a long time] for a mere test?”
In the story, the currently unidentified user said that for a fee of Rp 650,000 (S$60.70), anyone who wished could obtain a PCR test result without needing to take the test in the first place.
Whoever wanted to use the service only needed to show him their identification card, and they’d gain access to a forged test result that could be used across all Indonesian regions. He also pushed the credibility of his service, saying that over 30 people had used it so far and that his friend was a doctor.
Within an hour, customers would be able to receive the results, he claimed.
Pharmacological Company That is Dragged In Responds
Nowadays, with the power of Photoshop, anything can be edited to look real.
Some of the counterfeit test result certificates included logos of pharmacological companies to seem more credible, including that of company Bumame Farmasi’s.
Responding to this issue, the company posted a statement on their Instagram account last week, saying: “None of the staff in Bumame is able to forge the test result as every test had to undergo a strict validation process from doctors and administrators to prevent any mistake or forged result.”
Bumame also announced that as a preventive measure against counterfeit results, they will place a QR code on every future test result, where scanning the code will lead back to an original version of the result in the company’s database to ensure its validity.
View this post on Instagram
COVID-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito also commented on the issue, cautioning the public against using the service just to travel outside of their city and not to take it lightly.
“Please refrain from engaging in such a practice and immediately alert the authorities if you witness a similar case,” he added.
Yep, getting a forged test result isn’t something to be proud of in all cases.
Featured Image: Agvi Firdaus / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)
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