Sharing your COVID vaccination card on social media can make you vulnerable to identity theft, said the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
People enthusiastic about the vaccination have taken selfies with the card and posted on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms
“Unfortunately, your card has your full name and date of birth, as well as information about where you got the vaccine,” said BBB. “If your social media privacy settings aren’t high, you could be providing valuable information for anyone to use.”
The group said scammers in Britain were caught selling fake vaccination cards on eBay and TikTok.
“It is only a matter of time before similar cons reach the United States and Canada. Publishing photos of your card can help provide scammers with information they can use to create and sell fake cards, ”said BBB.
It also displays your full name and date of birth, and scammers can use this information to try to commit identity theft fraud.
If you still want to share the news that you received a vaccine on social media, BBB says there are safe ways to do it.
First, instead of showing the real card, you can use a vaccine sticker or put a frame around your profile picture, it said.
If a selfie with your card is what you really want, you can use your finger to cover your personal information, although you are still showing the card to scammers who may want to replicate the look and feel of vaccine cards.
And be careful with social media warnings, not just about the vaccine, but also on other topics, said the BBB.
“Sharing the vaccine photo is just the latest social trend. Think twice before participating in other personal viral publications, like listing all the cars you own – including make / model years – favorite songs and ten TV shows, ”said BBB. “Some of those ‘favorite things’ are commonly used passwords or security questions.”
And while you’re at it, review your security settings to see what you’re sharing and with whom on all of your social media platforms.
“If you want only friends and family to see your posts, make sure this is how your privacy settings are configured,” he said.
You can report scams, whether you’ve lost money or not, to BBB.org/ScamTracker.
Tell us your COVID-19 vaccination stories, send us a news tip or questions about the vaccination process in our tip shape.
Subscribe now and support the local journalism you trust and trust.
Karin Price Mueller can be contacted at [email protected].