Bulgarian authorities disrupted a scheme for faking PCR tests certificates

First attempt at fraud with negative PCR tests. The signature of a pulmonologist from Rousse (Northern Bulgaria) was forged on the documents, without him knowing that his signature has been used. The fake documents were sold for 60 euros.

A 34-year-old counterfeiter from Rousse used the COVID situation to issue false documents for negative PCR tests required from passengers travelling abroad. However, the scheme was revealed when a family from Razgrad were turned back from the Danube bridge border crossing for not having the mandatory tests. The border authorities became suspicious when the passengers re-appeared at the border in a hour with the required documents.

The border police began to examine the documents more precisely and found they had nothing to do with the real ones. The tests were signed by a pulmonologist, not a laboratory director. The doctor understood from the police about the involvement of his name in the fraud. The detained family admits that they got the false documents for 60 BGN per person.

Dr. Rozina Mircheva - Director of “Zdrave” Laboratory: Everything is fake in fact. The laboratory number is fake, the way the patient's name is written is fake. There is no way to write it in Cyrillic once and a second time under it - in Latin. Our programme does not allow it. The certificate itself is copied entirely from our website, but what makes it unique is the barcode, which in this case is simply copied. There is a signature, but not of a doctor from our laboratory. They also copied the seal of one of our colleagues, who has nothing to do with the tests.

The case in being investigated by the Prosecutor’s office. Border police do not rule out the possibility that other Bulgarian citizens had crossed the border with false PCR tests results.