During the holiday season, many of us will be taking flights to see loved ones or going on vacation. While traveling people always keep track of their boarding pass before disembarking, but usually lose track of it afterwards. But did you know this could put you at risk of identity theft?
Forensic expert for CBS, Winston Krone, says that a thief can easily hack into your personal information through the barcode on your boarding pass. By simply using a scanner app on a mobile device, they can retrieve your personal email address, home address and phone number. They may even be able to get your frequent flyer number. From there it might be just a few steps for them to access your frequent flyer account.
On the positive side, some airlines do scramble the barcode and have more complex security access for frequent flyer accounts. One thing for sure, if I get a paper boarding pass, I’ll be making sure to tear it up before throwing it away, just to be on the safe side.
Share this security warning with your traveling family and friends.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.