People are sharing their vaccination cards on social media. Why you probably shouldn’t do that

CINCINNATI (FOX19) - Folks who have already gotten their vaccinations are starting to share photos of their vaccination cards on social media.

The Better Business Bureau says they might want to think twice about that.

Look, it’s completely understandable. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is a huge deal, and you — let’s say it’s you — probably want to share the news (”So I did a thing,” etc) with your family, friends and followers.

But posing for a selfie with that vaccination card could leave you open to identity theft.

The card has your full name on it, after all. It also has your birthday and information about where you got your vaccine. Match that with the information already available about you on your social media profiles and through your digital footprint (hint: it’s a lot) and someone could be well on their way to appropriating your identity online.

That’s not all. Posting your vaccination card could also make it easier for scammers to create phony versions of those cards.

According to BBB, scammers in Great Britain were caught selling fake vaccination cards on eBay and TikTok.

BBB offers the following tips to safely share on social media:

• Share your vaccine sticker or use a profile frame instead. 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.
• Review your security settings.Check your security settings on all social media platforms to see what you are sharing and with whom. If you only want friends and family to see your posts, be sure that’s how your privacy settings are configured.
• Be wary of answering popular social media prompts. Sharing your vaccine photo is just the latest social trend. Think twice before participating in other viral personal posts, such as listing all the cars you’ve owned (including makes/model years), favorite songs, and top 10 TV shows. Some of these “favorite things” are commonly used passwords or security questions.

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