Did you really travel overseas or attend a Taylor Swift concert if you didn't post about it? I’ll be the first to admit how fun it is to revel in the excitement and take that iconic boarding pass selfie. Despite this, posting your boarding passes or concert tickets online for all to see can land you in some serious hot water.
Why you should never post ticket photos online
2 min readBoarding passes
Boarding passes contain a slew of your personal information, like your full legal name, seat assignment, and unique booking number. It also includes a barcode or QR code that’s scanned upon boarding. While this information might seem harmless, it can quickly halt your travel plans if they end up in the wrong hands.
If you give a scammer access to the barcode on your boarding pass, you’re essentially handing them your personal information. Free barcode scanning software will allow them to scan your barcode, and bring up your booking information. By extension, they now have access to your phone number, email address, and emergency contact information.
With this information, they can make changes to your booking, cancel your flight, or even hack into your frequent flyer account. In some cases, you can even have your identity stolen and have unauthorised purchases made under your name.
Some seasoned hackers will also use this information to create targeted phishing attempts. They may disguise a link to your boarding pass as one that leads to an unsafe site, or lead you to believe there’s an issue with your flight.
Concert and sporting event tickets
Once your ticket is scanned, it’s no longer valid. If you share a pic of your ticket online and somebody happens to screenshot the barcode and enter the venue before you do, there’s nothing you can do. You’ve inadvertently given your ticket to someone else. While you may not end up having your identity stolen, it’s incredibly disappointing having your ticket stolen because you didn’t cover up the barcode.
Posting your ticket online could also be aiding counterfeit sales. If your barcode is visible, opportunist counterfeiters can use it to duplicate your ticket and scam other fans out of their hard-earned cash.
How to protect your tickets
Being denied entry to your favourite artist’s concert is a nightmare come to life. Rest assured, there are a few simple ways you can keep your tickets safe though.
The easiest way to protect your tickets is to avoid posting them online, period.
There are plenty of ways you can let people know you’re about to embark on the holiday of a lifetime without broadcasting your personal information. Take a photo at the terminal or in the lounge with your pre-flight bevvie. Snap a pic of the plane wing after you’ve boarded. Or you can resume posting when you’ve landed.
If you must take that iconic passport and boarding pass pic, be sure to cover the barcode. When you exit the plane, make sure you take that pass with you and shred it up as best as you can before chucking it out.
As for concert and sporting event tickets, feel free to go crazy with the pics after the barcode has been scanned and you’re in the venue. If a scammer tries to replicate your ticket, they’re out of luck because it’s now considered void.
