I don’t know about all of you, but I’ve seen quite a few pictures of friends’ vaccination cards on my social media feeds. I can’t tell you exactly how much – because frankly I forgot –but I can tell you that every time I saw one it provoked a mixed reaction. On the one hand, I was really happy that my friends were posting, many of them in healthcare or educators, got a vaccine. However, another part of me was uncomfortable. Posting a photo with personal information and vaccine information just seemed like a bad idea.
Apparently the Federal Trade Commission shares my discomfort. In a blog on the topic posted on Friday, the agency sternly stated that social media is no place to share your Covid-19 vaccination cards. It gently chastised people celebrating their second dose of covid-19-the current vaccines approved in the US require two shots – with “the dizzying enthusiasm usually reserved for weddings, new babies and other life events.”
I absolutely think people have a right to be happy that they got the vaccine. This pandemic has been terrible and devastating. And really, if you’ve already gotten the vaccine, I’m really sorry happy for you and hope you feel a little more comfortable. However, a festive photo isn’t worth the trouble it could cause on the road.
Please – don’t do that! You could invite identity theft, ”wrote Seena Gressin of the FTC, an attorney in the agency’s consumer and business education division.
As explained by the agency, the covid-19 vaccination card contains important pieces of information about you such as your full name, date of birth, where you received your vaccine and when you received it. Posting this on social media is like willingly giving bad actors something they are looking for.
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Gressin likened identity theft to a puzzle made up of pieces of your personal information. You don’t want to give identity thieves what they need to complete your puzzle, she said.
“One of those pieces is your date of birth,” said Gressin. “For example, by knowing your date and place of birth, scammers can sometimes guess most of the digits of your Social Security Number. Once identity thieves have the documents they need, they can use the information to open new accounts in your name, claim your tax refund for themselves, and engage in other identity thefts. “
Another concern, as noted by the New York Timesis that the vaccination cards can be forged by people who have not received a vaccine or who have no plans to get one to access jobs, restaurants or events. A December report in UK outlet The Sun stated that some people were already selling forged vaccination cards on TikTok.
Worse, the Times states that scammers can even take advantage the information to trick people into paying for the second dose of their vaccine or any future booster shots. In the US, vaccines are bought by the government are given for free, although the vaccination provider may charge an administrative fee for giving an injection, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The list of possible setbacks about an innocent photo can go on endlessly.
This doesn’t mean government officials and experts are saying you can’t post photos of this important moment on social media. However, they have one suggestion: take a picture of it vaccine stickers issued on some sites. Or from the bandage on your arm from the injection. According to the FTC, the latter gives you the ability to “show off your tattoos and deltoids at the same time.”
I personally like the sticker. And hey, we already have experience rocking selfies with “I Vote” stickers. Do it with the “I’ve got my Covid-19 vaccine!” stickers be a walk in the park.
Better to be safe than sorry.