Vietnamese police warn against sharing ID card images on social media

Police departments in An Giang and Gia Lai provinces have issued a warning regarding a trend on TikTok where users film or display close-up images of their chip-based citizen identity cards (CCCD) to participate in social media challenges or identity verification trends.

Authorities warn that sharing clear images or videos of these cards exposes sensitive personal information, including full names, personal identification numbers, dates of birth, portrait photos, and QR codes. This data can be exploited by criminals to commit identity theft, register fraudulent online accounts, take out loans, open bank accounts, or conduct other illegal activities.

To mitigate these risks, officials advise citizens to avoid posting full images of the front or back of their identity cards on social media. If sharing is necessary, sensitive information such as the personal ID number and QR code must be obscured. Citizens are also encouraged to tighten social media privacy settings and remain vigilant against requests for ID information from unknown sources.