The Telegraph
Around 100 fake Covid test certificates are being discovered at the border everyday, in what experts have branded a "very leaky" system, it has emerged. The fake documents claiming a traveller has a recent negative test result are "very easy" to forge, MPs have been told, and there is no way to tell how many more are being missed. Lucy Moreton, professional officer for the Immigration Services Union (ISU), which represents border immigration and customs staff in the UK, also said there is "little to no" evidence on how well people are adhering to quarantine rules. Public health experts branded the system as “very leaky” and not “bio-secure”. Ms Moreton told the All Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus that around 20,000 people are coming into the country each day, the majority of whom are hauliers. To enter England people must provide proof of a negative test taken in the three days before departure - which can be shown to border agents as a printed document or through an email or text message. Asked how border agents are able to verify proof of a negative test, Ms Moreton told MPs: "We're not, is the simple answer, it's predominantly taken on trust. "We do get 100 or more a day of fake Covid certificates, that we catch." She added they usually identify them due to spelling errors. But many certificates are in a foreign language which could make spelling mistakes trickier to spot, she added. "Otherwise they are taken at face value," she said. Ms Moreton said that the type of test taken can be checked against a series of code numbers but "these things are very easy to knock up electronically unfortunately".
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