Travel tip #132: Protect your boarding pass info

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This week's tip is about not doing something that many do when we travel: Share a photo of our boarding pass to illustrate we are on our way to somewhere.

An influencer recently found out the possible risks of that when someone used it to cancel her bucket list trip.
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Why you shouldn't share a picture of your boarding pass

Have you ever shared a photo of your boarding pass online just to say "Heading to XYZ!"?

If you did, you took a big risk.

Boarding passes contain a lot of information about you (full name, frequent flyer number, phone number, passport / ID number) and your flight details (origin and destination, route and booking code) hidden in their bar / QR code.

Your name, flight details and frequent flyer number are printed in plain sight on the boarding pass, but there are also several other details contained in the bar / QR code that aren't obvious but that experts could extract.

This information can be used to many nefarious activities:

• Your personal details can be used to steal your identity or to scam you pretending they know you with the information contained. Someone could use your details to open a credit card under your name and use it to purchase things, or use your details to hack your frequent flyer account and issue a gift card to him/herself.
• Someone can use the details to cancel, change or refund your trip, as this traveler found out when someone took her surname and booking reference, which are all the details you need to access a booking, and went to the airline website to cancel her dream trip to Singapore.
• You could be hacked with the info shared, like Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Luckily in his case, it was a benevolent hacker who only wanted to warn him to delete the image of his boarding pass he posted on Instagram.

Additionally, you are telling potential burglars that you are not going to be home, which opens a whole lot of other risks.

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Bottom line: Don't share your boarding pass online or, if you do, grey it out or block it so it cannot be read.

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See all the previous 131 newsletter travel tips here and don't forget to forward this email to a friend who may find it useful.

I hope you have a GREAT weekend!

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Solo Female Travelers Co-Founders

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