In the quiet of the morning, before the sun is up, morning prayer complete, cup of tea ready, I settle in to my routine of reading several morning papers. Even though I am at my new parish in Northern Virginia, I continue to read the Tampa Bay Times online. There and in other news outlets we have all heard about the con artists who are contacting people offering to register them for vaccination appointments at public or private facilities….”I just need some information – full name, address, etc…and your social security number, and a credit card to hold your reservation.” Right. I hope we have all gotten to the point where we simply do not give out such information over the phone.

Today, an article made me quietly sigh. It was about vaccinations and scammers. This was about people, who in their excitement snap an image of their newly acquired vaccination card and post in on social media. The card is simple including vaccination type and dates. The card also contains your name and day of birth. “Your name and birth date may seem harmless enough. But sophisticated scammers can use scraps of personal information as stepping stones to commit fraud or access your finances.” So, if you are lucky enough to have received a vaccination, certainly share that good news on social media if you like, but don’t post a picture of your card. Don’t give the scammers a head start.

Image Credit:  EJ HERSOM | Defense.gov