This advice shouldn’t come as a surprise to any readers since I’ve written similar tips in the past. But sometimes helpful reminders never hurt.
I’ve had friends post pictures of their plane tickets on social media because they’re excited about the destination or their upgrade went through, but it’s a really bad idea. I’ve known people who later discovered that some sinister person had cancelled their ticket by either calling up the airline or getting online to access their account since they had their name and record locator. It’s also not advised to post these photos because it also lets people know you’re away from home. (You can read more about that here.)
There’s also that story about an Aussie whose Facebook ‘friend’ used her selfie to claim her horse race winnings from the Melbourne Cup. Ouch.
Well, the new warning is from the the Better Business Bureau (BBB), warning people not to post photos of their COVID-19 vaccination cards on social media. I’ve seen photos of people’s vaccination cards that they’ve posted because they’re so excited to be that much closer to traveling, seeing friends and family and resuming normal activities.
But the BBB says don’t do it. “Unfortunately, your card has your full name and birthday on it, as well as information about where you got your vaccine. If your social media privacy settings aren’t set high, you may be giving valuable information away for anyone to use. Sharing your personal information isn’t the only issue. Scammers in Great Britain were caught selling fake vaccination cards on eBay and TikTok. It’s only a matter of time before similar cons come to the United States and Canada. Posting photos of your card can help provide scammers with information they can use to create and sell phony ones.”
Instead, the BBB recommends: “If you want to post about your vaccine, there are safer ways to do it. You can share a photo of your vaccine sticker or set a frame around your profile picture.”
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This is solid advice so you might want to let your family and friends know, especially younger people who might be far more active on social media, by sending them this article so they don’t make the same mistake.
RELATED READING: In related news, the European Union’s police agency yesterday warned travelers to watch for organized crime gangs selling fake COVID-negative certificates at airports, sometimes for as much as 300 euros each. Read the story here.
