As vaccines roll out, many people are getting caught up in the excitement and proudly sharing pictures of their vaccine record cards on social media. But the Better Business Bureau is cautioning against that.
There are two reasons they're advising against that : one, the cards contain personal information such as your full name and birthdate, along with where you got your vaccine, which could make you vulnerable to identity theft.
But that's not the only way scammers are using these images for their benefit; they've also been using this information to create fake vaccine record cards and sell them on the black market. It's already happened in Great Britain,
The BBB is offering these tips for safer sharing:
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.