You’re traveling out of the country and already have your whole trip planned out: the restaurants you’ll eat at, the famous sites you’ll visit, the culture you’ll experience.
But in 2017, traveling also entails sharing every step of your journey on social media. And what is typically the first photo taken to signify this trek overseas? None other than a picture of your boarding pass, which also happens to display sensitive personal information, making you (and possibly your travel companions!) vulnerable to hackers.
Here are six reasons why you should put your boarding pass in your suitcase, not on your social.
1. You reveal your travel details
If you share your frequent flyer number, confirmation number or ticket number, either printed on your ticket or through the barcode, it’s easy to find more details. This information alone can allow someone to change the date of your trip, cancel your return flight or swap your seat. It doesn’t take hacking skills to do this; anyone with your travel information can make these changes!
2. It’s a Key to Your Loyalty Account
This allows someone to see your trips, past and future. Even if you aren’t worried about someone following you, they could use your loyalty account to redeem your miles for other flights or send themselves a gift card, paid from your account.
3. Your Emails Could Be Hacked, Too
Using the information from your loyalty account, a hacker could find your email. If they are persistent enough, they could use your information to hack into your email account, which is loaded with tons of personal information and can be used to find passwords to other accounts.
4. Identity Theft Will Be Easier
Once someone knows your full name, address, birthday and possibly more (depending on how much is in your frequent flyer account), you’re at risk for identity theft. To make matters worse, some airlines include your passport data within a ticket’s barcode. This could make it even easier for someone to lift your identity.
5. Your Family or Friends Can Be Found, Too
If you travel with someone else on the same reservation, you’ll share a PNR, or Passenger Name Record. So if one person in the group shares their confirmation number, a hacker can easily find everyone who’s traveling together.
6. Your Personal Safety Could Be in Jeopardy
If someone sees your trip details, they’ll know how long you’ll be away. If your home is empty while you travel, a hacker can figure out how much time they’ll have to enter your home before you return.
On that same note, they’ll also know exactly when you’ll get to the airport as well as your departure gate and terminal. That can be bad information to share if someone decided to follow you to the airport, or waited for you to exit the terminal on your way home.
While this is hopefully very unlikely, it’s worth considering.
Bottom Line
We understand; you’re traveling abroad, and you are incredibly excited! But the dangers that come with sharing your boarding pass just aren’t worth the extra likes before departing the country. Keep that information private, and save the photos for the real sights. Besides, what picture are you more likely to double-tap: a piece of paper, or the Eiffel Tower?