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Fake card claims to exempt people from wearing masks under Americans With Disabilities Act

Posted at 7:32 AM, Jun 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-26 10:59:27-04

There's a warning about a fake card that is currently making the rounds on social media in response to several states now making masks mandatory in public.

The claim is that the card will exempt people from wearing a face mask under the Americans With Disabilities Act because it "poses a mental and/or physical risk."

It also claims that if a business denies access to a person with a card, the business will be reported and potentially fined thousands of dollars.

The card has a Department of Justice seal but the DOJ says it did not issue a card.

Consumer lawyer Charles Gallagher says lying about a disability to get away with not wearing a mask is not worth it. If a person is caught, they could face big fines for lying about disability and using false documents.

Former NSYNC singer Lance Bass tweeted a photo showing one example of a fake face mask exempt card, which he said are “not a thing.”

The card also bears the emblem for the Freedom to Breathe Agency (FTBA), which is not a real agency.

However, it is the name of a group on Facebook, which has nearly 6,000 people. The group claims "breathing is a vital biological activity to physical and emotional well being,” and the agency is “designed to stop face mask orders from spreading nationwide and globally.”

The Centers for Disease Control says that wearing face masks will reduce the spread of the coronavirus.