A boarding pass, although not very dangerous on the surface, actually contains information that an individual with bad intentions can reuse against its owner.
Unless you are sure of what you are doing or want to keep it as a souvenir, it is recommended that you do not throw your boarding pass like a common tissue in the trash, once you get off your plane and your trip is over. Because without falling into absolute paranoia, zero risk does not exist, and prevention is better than cure or being the victim of identity theft or other attempted scam. This is what can happen to you if scammers manage to recover the information found in your famous “boarding pass”.
Do not show the QR code or barcode of your boarding pass
Airline tickets and boarding passes display a lot of information, such as your flight time, airport, flight number, gate or seat number. Well, a priori, nothing “fufu” then. However, you should not forget the first and last name, which may appear. Many companies have banned the passport number for a long time, fortunately.
But your boarding pass has a QR code or barcode, scanned by the screening devices, security and staff of the airline you are boarding with. This is where all the interest lies for possible malicious individuals.
Do not share your card on social media, and destroy it once you return from your trip
The famous QR code or barcode contains a lot of personal data:
- your full name,
- your phone number,
- Your email address,
- your client number,
- your unique registration key,
- and your banking details potentially.
On the Internet, it is unfortunately easy to find a barcode reader, and then decipher the data without too much difficulty. Same thing for a story, a photo or a video of your sesame that you could post publicly on social networks. The risk is even greater, because with some of this information, a hacker could access your account, book flights and even cancel others.
To avoid any blunders, tearing your boarding pass into almost a thousand pieces will be safer. In the event of a return flight, wait until you have completed your return journey to dispose of it properly, because in the slightest incident, your cards could come in handy. Still favor the digital version, on your smartphone. Unless your company surprises you by upgrading you, and in which case it will be your lucky break (and it will not exempt you from exercising caution), the paper version is no longer of much use in 2023.
Sources: Clubic, West France
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