Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Got your vaccine and excited to share the good news? Be careful because online crooks may be seizing on your happy news to rip you off.
When University of Utah ICU nurse Christy Mulder became the first in Utah to get the vaccine, she celebrated.
"It was the most exciting shot I've ever had in my life," she said.
Now, millions more have also received the shot and are equally excited and eager to share the happy news.
Celebration in modern times often means sharing the news on social media. Feeds have become full of folks flexing their bandaged biceps, or flashing a two-fingered "V" for vaccine.
It's also led to a troubling trend that has privacy officials worried.
"Scammers are looking for every possible way to get to know you," said Utah Better Business Bureau spokesperson Britta Clark.
Clark warned people to not post images of their vaccine cards.
"You want to take a selfie holding your vaccination card and post it to Facebook, Instagram or another social media platform. But unfortunately, your card has your full name and your birthday on it and information about where you got your vaccine," she said.
Scammers are looking for every possible way to get to know you.
–Britta Clark, Utah Better Business Bureau spokesperson
That might not sound like much, but scammers have grown sophisticated and latch on to little things to trick their victims into sharing more. For example, a scammer might call, pretending to be from the hospital, and say they are following up on your shot, but they lie and say they need just a bit more information, like your social or credit card number.
"You want to share it. You want other people around you to see, 'I got it. I'm safe. I'm OK. You can get it, too. It's OK. We all should be getting this together.' But there are ways to share that don't involve giving your information," Clark said.
Anytime there is a major news event, you better believe that scammers are hunting for ways to capitalize. And the news doesn't get much bigger than turning the page on COVID-19 — so don't make yourself an easy target, Clark warned.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, more than 200,000 Americans, so far, have been duped out of a whopping $145 million because of fraud related to the coronavirus.
