Why You Shouldn’t Post Photos of Your Vaccination Card Online

We get it. You’re excited to get vaccinated for COVID-19. After this very difficult and strange past year, we’re all ready to do our part to make the world safe and, well, normal again.

Perhaps you’ve already been vaccinated. Perhaps you’re still waiting for it to finally be your turn. Everyone 16+ should be eligible to get vaccinated by May, so your turn is coming up quickly.

You have probably know that some of your friends or family members have gotten vaccinated. You’ve probably seen some of them post photos of their vaccination card on social media. They’re giving you proof that they have one vaccination down and one to go or that they are fully vaccinated. They are also sharing their excitement and encouraging others to get vaccinated when it’s their turn.

There’s something else they’re doing without knowing it. By posting a picture of their vaccination card on social media, they are making it easy for scammers to steal their identity and they are making it easy for scammers to create fake vaccination cards.

Watch the video below for a simple explanation of why posting a picture of your vaccination card on social media is a bad idea and to learn what you could post instead.

On Twitter, some people seem determined to post their vaccination card anyway, arguing that your full name and birthday side by side isn’t really enough information for scammers to go by. Others warn that it’s better to play it safe like the video suggests.

We have seen some friends post their vaccination cards while being careful to cover up all of their personal information. That is a safe way to share your excitement of getting vaccinated, but we like the idea of posting a picture of the vaccination sticker instead. If an “I voted” sticker is the obligatory photo post on election day, an “I got vaccinated” sticker seems appropriate for vaccination day.

Have you gotten the COVID-19 vaccine yet? If so, did you post a photo of your vaccination card on social media? Does this video make you rethink posting a picture of your vaccination card? Did you know scammers would be able to steal your identity so easily?