A warning has been issued urging people not to post pictures of lateral flow tests on social media - as the codes are being copied by criminal gangs who then sell the fake results.
One of the UK's leading security training platforms has identified it as a "growing illegal trade" despite hefty fines of up to £10,000 for using or supplying fake Covid passes.
As reported by WalesOnline, the CEO at Get Licensed, Shahzad Ali, has warned the safety of venues such as nightclubs could be compromised by fake Covid passes, and he urged people not to share their LFT results online.
Read more: Go here for the latest coronavirus updates and breaking Covid-19 news
Earlier this month Sky News reported that fake or fraudulent EU Covid certificates were being advertised online by criminal groups.
It said that criminals are trying to capitalise on anti-vaxxers across Europe to sell them Covid passports.
And now with surging Covid cases and the threat from the Omicron variant, there has reportedly been a surge in the illegal practice.
Mr Ali said: "We have seen fake documentation for many years, for example, fake IDs have been a regular feature at nightclubs for a number of years.
"This is just a new complication that door supervisors will soon become used to facing. It was always inevitable that fake Covid passes would start to appear as soon as there were rumours of them being introduced.
"Whilst grossly unethical and potentially very dangerous, it is also illegal to use/supply/distribute fake Covid passes and could see you rack up a fine of £10,000 should you be caught.
“There is obviously going to be a market for Covid passes, because there will be people who want to go about their life like normal and not have to take Covid tests for things they didn’t have to before, so it is extremely important that you look after your Covid pass.
"Our advice would be to avoid posting it on social media, don’t share the code from the lateral flow you have taken because others could register it as their test.
“Covid passes will potentially make door supervisors' jobs much more difficult, especially when we consider the consequences of people who are especially forthcoming with their beliefs, it could make the job much more dangerous.”
A few weeks ago Sky News discovered evidence of these passes, which have the potential to be used as proof of vaccination to gain access into the UK, being promoted on social media in at least nine European countries.
This week EuroNews also reported that Italian authorities suspended 17 public and private messaging platforms, which were advertising the supply of illegal Covid-19 vaccination certificates.
Currently in the UK Covid passports showing two vaccination doses or a negative lateral flow test are needed to get into some venues with crowds.
For the latest local news in your area direct to your inbox every day, go here to sign up to our free newsletter
