A playboy scammer is putting lives at risk by selling fake negative coronavirus certificates so Britons can travel abroad.
Danyal Sajid, 21, told undercover reporters he had already sold up to 50 of the documents, which are required for entry by many countries.
But as well as selling them individually, the bank worker runs the illegal business as a franchise and trades the fake certificate template to others for £500.
It means hundreds of Britons may have boarded flights with bogus negative results while positive with Covid.
Sajid boasted of blowing the proceeds on luxury cars and a prostitute in Dubai, where he travelled from Britain last week using one of his phoney documents.
In just a few days he hired a Range Rover, Mercedes G-Wagon, Mercedes GTC, Mercedes GTS and Mercedes S63.
Danyal Sajid, 21, (pictured) is putting lives at risk by selling fake negative coronavirus certificates so Britons can travel abroad
He said he was hoping to rent a Lamborghini before returning home this week.
Other online footage showed him posing at a rooftop nightclub in the glamorous Five Palm Jumeirah hotel.
He bragged about spending £500 in a night at the venue and also described picking up a Spanish prostitute, who he said looked like an ‘Instagram model’ and who he paid £300 for the night. In person, he said he did not know how much he had made from the scam, explaining: ‘I’ve just been spending it in Dubai bro.’
Sajid, who expects a surge in business as tourist travel becomes possible again, was unconcerned when told by undercover reporters that one of those buying the fake certificates had tested positive for Covid.The scammer, who openly advertises on social media, said the loophole was easy to exploit because it is almost impossible for airlines and border staff to check if documents are genuine.
In just a few days he hired a Range Rover (pictured), Mercedes G-Wagon, Mercedes GTC, Mercedes GTS and Mercedes S63
Sajid, from Yorkshire, works in customer service for a major bank, but does ‘anything he can’ on the side to make extra cash. Pictured: A social media advert from Sajid can be seen
And he said he is planning a second fraud when the vaccination programme rolls out if similar certificates are issued as proof of immunisation.
His Snapchat was filled with images of him and his friends enjoying the nightspots of Dubai plus adverts for his scam.
One message said: ‘If anyone else wants the template message me! Might see you here in Dubs’ – and with two laughing emojis.
En route to Dubai he posted a picture of himself on his plane with the fake certificate, writing: ‘For those who didn’t believe it worked. Adiosssssss.’
Sajid, from Yorkshire, works in customer service for a major bank, but does ‘anything he can’ on the side to make extra cash.
Last night health experts warned people could die because of the scam.
The Mail bought one of his certificates for £75, less than a third of the £250 we were charged for taking a test and getting a genuine document. It was in the name of a respected chain of private clinics, SameDayDoctor, with a signature of one of the company’s doctors.
But the clinic had nothing do with it, and said they were appalled by the fraudulent use of their documents.
Undercover reporters posing as customers later met Sajid, who told them it was a ‘straightforward’ scam and all he required were their date of birth, address, full name as it is on the passport and the date of travel. ‘Bruv, that’s it, it’s simple,’ he said. He described how he started the con two months ago after his cousin got a genuine certificate to travel to Pakistan.
He said: ‘I looked at it and I was like, there’s no number, let me scan this. I was messing about with it and then I got people interested and boom, it just took off, man, it just took off…
Sajid, 21, (pictured) told undercover reporters he had already sold up to 50 of the documents, which are required for entry by many countries
‘We’ve got the template… and just change the names. It’s the proper thing.’ He added: ‘Now they’re going to start doing vaccines, but there’s going to be a unique code for vaccines, if you’ve been injected or not. But we’ll find a way.’
He said he had done ‘forty to fifty’ of the test certificates including for himself, friends and one of their girlfriends who were currently in Dubai.
‘It’s just a hole in the system. They’re not going to scan it, there’s no bar code. There’s no certain unique number for you. That’s the loophole in it. Everyone knows the chances of them calling are very low. They’re not going to sit down on any airline and go through 300 doctors’ numbers.
‘Number one, doctors are way too busy now, even to pick up the phone. Number two, I don’t know if they can, it’s private and confidential information.’ He told us: ‘I’m a very honest guy.’
Concern has grown over the abuse of Covid certificates.
The UAE has already issued a visa ban on Kenyans entering the country after visitors were found using forged documents.
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at University of East Anglia, said: ‘This is absolutely appalling. He is literally profiting from something that could reasonably certainly lead to somebody’s death or, if not death, to somebody getting severely debilitating Covid 19.
Sajid (pictured) boasted of blowing the proceeds on luxury cars and a prostitute in Dubai, where he travelled from Britain last week using one of his phoney documents
‘The spread from one positive person travelling using a negative certificate could end up causing the death of someone’s granny.’
He added that the ease of the fraud meant this could be the tip of the iceberg: ‘If this becomes even more of a problem there are going to have to be stronger measures to stop counterfeiting.’
Sarah Bruce-Ball from SameDayDoctor said the fake certificates were extremely concerning.
She added: ‘If airlines or border staff phoned us we could immediately check if a certificate is genuine and would be very happy do this, as we sometimes do for pharmacists over prescriptions.’
Contacted for comment, Sajid said: ‘Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ He then hung up and did not respond to further calls and messages.