DALLAS, Texas — A new warning from the Better Business Bureau is directed towards those who recently got the COVID-19 vaccine: don't post a photo with your vaccine card on social media, or fraudsters may take advantage of it.
The alert comes as many take to Instagram or Facebook to celebrate that they got vaccinated by posting a selfie with their vaccine card or by just posting their card by itself.
While the card doesn't have sensitive personal information written on it, it often does include a patient's first and last name along with their birthday.
Sandra Guile, a national spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau, told WFAA that those three things are often all an identity thief needs to start building a profile on someone.
And because data breaches are so common amongst companies, it may not be a question of if but when an identity thief strikes.
"This is the basic nugget that a lot of cyber thieves are looking for. They can fill in the blanks by going to other sources to get your Social Security number or to get your address to find out where you live," Guile said.
And if identity thieves clear those hurdles, Guiles said that there's a lot of harm they can potentially do.
"They can file taxes or a tax form ahead of you, so if you're expecting a return—you may not get it. They can open a credit card account, and they can even go buy cell phones," Guile said.
Guile added that scammers could also target those who post a selfie with their card by baiting them into paying for a second dose.
She said it's not out of the realm of possibility because scammers are already trying to dupe people to pay for their first dose of the vaccine.
"In that situation, if you're not sure who to trust, consult your doctor or county health department," Guile said.
Being showy with your vaccine card might also aid scammers in creating fake vaccine cards.
Take a look at this story from England. Some fraudsters were caught selling fake vaccination cards on eBay for about $2 in U.S. currency.
Guile said that shady market is for those who may have to show a vaccine card when they travel or go back to work and haven't had their doses yet.
"It's like if you didn't get the vaccine, here's how you can get access to a card that says you did," Guile said.
"We thought this would turn into something big, and it has."
Guile recommends not taking a picture with your vaccination card, but she said to make sure your profiles are set to private if you feel inclined.
If you've already posted one, she told WFAA to consider deleting it.
