ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — While it's tempting to get some freebies for getting the COVID-19 vaccine, both the Better Business Bureau and the Identify Theft Resource Center warn there's sensitive information on your vaccination card that you should safeguard.
It has your name, birthdate and vaccination location-- info that can potentially be used for fraud.
You may have heard you shouldn't post a selfie with your vaccine card online. That’s because experts say you should only share information with people you trust. But what about showing it to get free food or another incentive for those who are vaccinated.
The President and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center Eva Velasquez offers this insight:
“We would recommend that people ask questions about who they’re sharing it with, what are they getting in return and then how is that data being stored—is it being stored. If it’s just being viewed by someone in person that’s far less of a risk if a copy, particularly a digital copy of that information is being made and then retained by who you’re sharing it with.”
Companies have varying promotions for showing your vaccination card. Each one may have a different level of risk.
“It's really about how are they verifying that information. If someone wants to take a copy of that card, I would absolutely not take advantage of the offer and I would walk away. It’s really not worth giving someone access to that information in perpetuity for a long period of time," Velasquez said.
"However, if it’s just a matter of showing your card to someone so they can hand you something, well that’s something you can consider because they’re not retaining the information. They’re just taking a look to see that you have it. And if you do need to share it in other ways, ask about covering up some of the other data other than just your name and the vaccine card,” Velasquez said.
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