Posting your COVID-19 shot card online could lead to identity theft

The thought of getting the COVID-19 vaccine is exciting for many. So exciting that many of you are posting your shot card on social media. But that could set you up for having your identity stolen.

That card has your full name and date of birth on it. This is the basic information that identity theft scammers need to build off of.

After you fight for hours or even days on the phone or online to earn your COVID-19 vaccine appointment, many of you either tell others you got your appointment or beg others to get the shot.

But posting those pictures with your information can open the doors for criminals to steal your money and identity.

Carrie Kerskie is an identity theft expert. “Your date of birth is an identification tool meaning that if you call you bank or your credit card company and they are trying to validate that you are the authorized user of that account,” Kerskie said. “They might ask you for your date of birth so that’s one piece of information that used to validate that you are the account holder.”

Law enforcement has issued warnings about this. The good news is, you can post excitedly that you got a vaccine appointment but maybe skip the photo of your card.