Don’t post photos of your COVID vaccine card on social media, BBB says. Here’s why

When COVID-19 vaccines started making the rounds at the end of 2020, many took to social media to share that they’d been vaccinated.

Some posted photos of themselves mid-vaccination while others brandished their freshly bandaged arms. Some, however, posted photos of their vaccine cards.

The Better Business Bureau says the latter is a no-no.

In a Friday alert, the agency cautioned against against posting photos of vaccine cards to social media citing privacy concerns.

Those who’ve gotten their first of two COVID-19 vaccine doses receive a card or print-out detailing whether they received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, Salon reported.

These documents also include the recipient’s name and birthday as well as where they were vaccinated, according to the bureau.

Posting a photo of your vaccine card to social media could mean you’re giving strangers access to your personal information.

“If your social media privacy settings aren’t set high, you may be giving valuable information away for anyone to use,” the bureau said.

It added that posting images of vaccine cards online makes it easier for scammers to make and sell bogus cards.

Having a COVID-19 vaccine card could become important for international travel or enrolling in school, according to Salon.

In Great Britain, scammers have already been caught selling phony vaccine cards on TikTok and eBay and the bureau warns it’s only a matter of time before it starts to happen in the U.S.

If you want to share that you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, the bureau recommends posting a photo of your vaccine sticker or using a photo filter to signify that you were vaccinated instead of sharing your card.

It also suggests double checking your security settings on social media to ensure your posts are only accessible to those you wish to see them.

Finally, the bureau recommends being careful about participating in popular social media prompts. Sharing information — such as your favorite songs or a list of cars you’ve owned — could be used to steal your personal information as these are commoon account security questions.

This story was originally published January 31, 2021 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Don’t post photos of your COVID vaccine card on social media, BBB says. Here’s why."