Why you should think twice before posting an ‘airport selfie’ this summer

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a summer holiday.

But if you’re one for posting a quick ‘passport cover and boarding pass selfie’ on social media at the airport, you might want to think twice.

This is mainly because you’re putting lots of your personal details out there – perhaps without even realising.

Every boarding pass features your full legal name, your ticket number, and your passenger name record (PNR), which is the six-digit alpha-numeric code that is unique to your booking.

While this might not seem like a lot of information, it’s a gateway for those looking to get more personal details.

Amir Sachs, founder and CEO of cybersecurity and IT company Blue Light IT, told Travel + Leisure: ‘Using the PNR and your last name, a hacker can have full access to your booking information, which will give them access to your phone number, email address, and emergency contact information.’

This can put you at risk of all kinds of personal security issues as well as fraud.

‘Your frequent flier number, name, and PNR are valuable for identity theft, enabling fraud like opening credit card accounts or making unauthorised purchases,’ says Josh Amishav, founder and CEO of data breach monitoring company Breachsense.

‘Hackers can employ social engineering techniques, pretending to be airline representatives to trick you into revealing more personal data. They can also create targeted phishing attempts using your boarding pass info, leading to clicking on malicious links or sharing sensitive data.’

So before you’re quick to brag about your upcoming trip, you might want to think about what personal details you’re posting in your pre-holiday snap.

If in doubt, just keep personal documents out of it.

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