As borders and tourist destinations reopen, more and more Singaporeans are travelling abroad. A trendy way of letting the online community know of such travel plans is by posting a photo of a passport with the boarding pass.
However, even a split-second video of a Singapore passport with an unblurred boarding pass can enable hackers to change flight details and gain access to personal information, said performance coach Jason Ho in a TikTok video. “If you like to post your air ticket with your passport when you’re going overseas, this is damn dangerous for your privacy,” he said on Monday (May 30).
Despite the video clip only lasting for half a second, Coach Jason said he was able to take a snapshot and got “everything.” He then explained that hackers could simply use the e-ticket number, log into the Singapore Airlines website and gain access to the flight details, receipts, personal information and the last four digits of the traveller’s credit card.
@coachjasonho PSA: Personal information hack #learningisfun #PSA #lifehacker #singaporeairlines #coachjasonho
♬ original sound – Coach Jason Ho – Coach Jason Ho • 🚀Career 🇸🇬
Coach Jason listed out the information being “given away” through such photos “without you even knowing:”
- Change or cancel flight
- Change food
- Change seat
- Upgrade seat
- Full name
- Passport number
- Passport expiry date
- Last four digits of credit card
- Date of birth
- Mobile number
He used an example of an influencer posting a 0.5-second video of her boarding pass and passport on her way to the SEA (Southeast Asian) Games.
“This is a public service announcement for you to share with all your loved ones and friends. I’ve been telling my friends for the longest time, and I hope more people would be careful with the e-ticket number as it poses such a dangerous personal information hack,” said Coach Jason in a comment.
There are many ways to post the same photo, all the while protecting confidential details. The traveller can cover the e-ticket number with a thumb, blur out the details, add stickers on the photo, or slide the boarding pass further into the passport to cover crucial information. /TISG