Luton men jailed for selling 2,000 fake Covid vaccine records from NHS system

Two men from Luton have been sentenced for selling fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination records during the pandemic. Waqas Hanif, 28, was jailed for three years, while Touqir Nasir, 31, received a ten-month suspended sentence with a six-month curfew. The case was investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and NHS England.

Hanif worked as a vaccination programme care co-ordinator at Kingsway Health Centre in Luton. Between June and October 2021, he created more than 2,000 fake vaccination records using the NHS Pinnacle system, which he had administrator access to. The fraudulent entries allowed unvaccinated individuals to bypass pandemic restrictions, including travel and large gatherings.

Cash seized and payments traced

NCA officers arrested Hanif in January 2022. During the search of his home, they found his NHS ID card, £7,000 in cash, NHS documents, and an application form for Luton Safe Deposit Centre. The deposit box, rented in August 2021, contained £136,405 in cash. CCTV footage showed Hanif accessing the box multiple times.

Hanif’s mobile phone contained around 250 images of personal details, including names and addresses of approximately 340 patients. His fingerprints were also found on some of the banknotes seized from the deposit box. During interviews, Hanif admitted creating the false records but claimed he acted under duress from local criminals.

Nasir, who had changed his name by deed poll to Adam Parker, opened a bank account during the fraud period. More than £56,000 was deposited into the account, mostly in small amounts between £100 and £400. Investigators linked some of these deposits to individuals who had fake vaccination records created. Bank statements also showed a £1,000 transfer to Hanif.

Sentencing and reaction

Hanif pleaded guilty to charges under the Computer Misuse Act, Fraud Act, and Proceeds of Crime Act at Luton Crown Court on 4 March 2025. Nasir pleaded guilty to a Fraud Act offence on 4 December 2025 and to a Proceeds of Crime Act offence on 26 February this year. Both men were sentenced on 3 September 2026.

Deputy Director Paul Foster of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit said the fraud undermined public health measures designed to protect communities. He added that the investigation, conducted with NHS England’s Counter Fraud Team, helped secure the safety of communities by preventing further exploitation.

What happens next

Hanif will serve his three-year prison sentence. Nasir’s ten-month sentence is suspended for one year, and he must comply with a six-month curfew. The NCA has not indicated whether further prosecutions will follow, but the case remains closed for now.