Excited about getting your coronavirus vaccine? You might want to think twice before you post about it on social media.
The Better Business Bureau issued a warning that sharing images of vaccination cards on social media could make you vulnerable to identity theft. It could also lead to scammers creating fake vaccination cards.
“Unfortunately, your card has your full name and birthday on it, as well as information about where you got your vaccine," Steve Bernas, president and CEO of BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois said in a statement. "If your social media privacy settings aren’t set high, you may be giving valuable information away for anyone to use.”
Instead, those getting vaccinated are being encouraged to share their vaccine stickers instead.
"If you want to post about your vaccine, there are safer ways to do it," the BBB said.
Here's their advice:
- Share a different image to celebrate. Try sharing 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.
The Better Business Bureau is asking anyone who believes they have spotted a scam to report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker.
