Why Travelers Should Never Toss Their Baggage Tags or Boarding Passes at the Airport

After a long flight, ripping off your baggage tag and tossing it into the nearest airport trash might seem harmless. However, that small piece of paper can be surprisingly valuable to scammers.

A warning shared on Reddit by someone identifying as a Delta baggage claims manager has drawn attention to a growing issue:

“Good evening everyone. I am a Delta baggage claims manager and I just wanted to let everyone know to please start discarding your bag tags at home," the post reads. "We are getting an influx of fraudulent claims being submitted for ‘missing items’ as these people are observing who is removing their luggage tags in the claim areas and using your information to submit claims for reimbursement. From my own personal experience in currently dealing with this it is causing issue with reimbursing the real people if they submit a legitimate claim. So please be careful and don’t take your tags off at the airport. They can steal enough information from that to use your travel itinerary to get paid.”

While the post originated on Reddit, travel outlets have since highlighted the risk: discarded baggage tags can be used for fraud, especially when discarded in public areas such as airport terminals and baggage claim.

What Makes a Baggage Tag Valuable to Scammers

Airline baggage tags often contain more information than travelers realize, including:

• Your name
• Flight number and destination
• A unique baggage tracking number
• Sometimes booking or frequent-flyer references

Taken together, this information can be enough for bad actors to impersonate a traveler and submit fraudulent claims, particularly for “missing” or “damaged” luggage. In some cases, these fake claims can even delay or complicate reimbursements for legitimate passengers.

This Isn’t New — It’s Airport-Era Dumpster Diving

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is.

Long before online scams became mainstream, criminals relied on traditional dumpster diving (going through trash) to find discarded documents containing personally identifiable information (PII) or financial details. Bank statements, utility bills, medical paperwork, and credit card offers pulled from the trash have long been used to commit identity theft and fraud.

What’s changed is where and how this happens.

Airports are busy environments where travelers routinely discard documents containing personal and travel-related data. From a scammer’s perspective, an airport trash bin is a goldmine, with plenty of people throwing away sensitive information without thinking twice.

Baggage tags fit perfectly into this model. They’re the modern equivalent of tossing a document with your name, itinerary, and account-linked details straight into a public dumpster.

Boarding Passes Pose a Similar Risk

Baggage tags aren’t the only travel documents that deserve more care. Boarding passes, both paper and digital screenshots, also expose sensitive information. In the wrong hands, this information can be used to look up reservations, impersonate travelers, or build convincing social-engineering scams. Tossing a boarding pass into an airport trash can carries many of the same risks as discarding financial paperwork in public.

What Travelers Should Do Instead

A few small habit changes can significantly reduce risk:

• Wait until you’re home to remove baggage tags from your luggage — or only discard them at the airport if there are secured baggage-tag disposal bins. As some travelers have noted on Reddit, airports in Japan provide dedicated, secure receptacles near baggage claim exits specifically for this purpose. If your airport doesn’t offer this option, keep the tag on your bag until you’re in a private space. Shred or tear them up before throwing them away
• Destroy boarding passes the same way
• Avoid leaving travel documents behind in seat-back pockets, hotel rooms, or shared spaces

A Short Travel Safety Checklist: Protect Your Data on the Go

Before you zip your suitcase and head home, take a few extra steps to keep your personal information out of the wrong hands:

• Protect your phone first: Install a reputable mobile security solution to help block malicious links, scam messages, and risky apps. Check out Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android and iOS.
• Secure your internet connection: Avoid logging into sensitive accounts over public Wi-Fi. Use a VPN to encrypt your traffic when connecting from airports, hotels, or cafés.
• Think before you scan or click: QR codes, airport notifications, and “urgent” travel messages can be spoofed. Verify before interacting. You can use Bitdefender Link Checker or Bitdefender Scamio for FREE to quickly detect scams.
• Monitor your digital identity: Travel-related data leaks and fraud don’t always show up immediately. Keep an eye on your personal data and accounts for unusual activity.