Lincolnshire Police: Avoid sharing your vaccine card on social media

It comes as a trend of sharing vaccination cards on social media continues to grow in popularity, with fears that fraudsters may try and steal identities.

In a statement issued today (Friday), a Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: “It’s like seeing a light at the end of a tunnel.

“After the year we have had with the pandemic, you have finally received your vaccine and it’s only right that you want to celebrate and share the good news with everyone.

“But you should be very careful when it comes to sharing that news online – particularly sharing your vaccine card.

“You might not realise, but your vaccine card contains sensitive information and by sharing that online, you’re unknowingly putting yourself at risk of identity fraud.

“Think of it like a puzzle. Fraudsters can collect bits of information online, through social media and put it together to build a better picture of you. The end goal? To allow them to steal your identity.

“Your name, the brand you had, the date of your jab and the batch number contained on your vaccine card are all pieces of information that fraudsters can use to their advantage.

“Through a quick social media search, fraudsters can obtain that information to forge vaccine cards and sell them on for their own benefit.

“We’re urging everyone to share this information with friends and families so we can prevent others from falling victim to identity theft.”