{"id":179195,"date":"2023-12-21T13:35:32","date_gmt":"2023-12-21T21:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=179195"},"modified":"2024-08-01T12:21:05","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T19:21:05","slug":"click-protect-yourself-from-qr-code-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/mobile-security\/click-protect-yourself-from-qr-code-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Protect Yourself from QR Code Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine paying $16,000 to park your car in a lot for a couple <\/span>of hours<\/span>. That\u2019s what happened to one woman in the UK who fell for a QR code scam posted in a parking lot.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As reported by <\/span>The Independent<\/span><\/i>, scanning the posted QR code with her phone took her to a phony parking payment site that stole her card info. After her bank blocked several attempted fraudulent transactions, the scammers contacted her directly. They posed as the bank and convinced her to open a new account, racking up the equivalent of $16,000 in stolen funds.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scams like that have spiked in popularity with crooks out there. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned of a fresh wave of QR code scams that have led to lost funds and identity theft.<\/span>\u00a0Not to mention infected devices with a glut of spyware, ransomware, and viruses.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet even as QR code scams become increasingly common, you can protect yourself. And enjoy the convenience they offer too, because they can truly make plenty of transactions go far more quickly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are QR codes?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

You can find them practically anywhere nowadays.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

QR stands for \u201cquick-response,\u201d thus a quick-response code. They look like a square of pixels and share many similarities with the bar codes you see on grocery items and other products. Yet a QR code can hold more than 300 times the data of a barcode. They\u2019ve been around for some time<\/span>. Dating back to industrial use in the 1990s, QR codes pack high volumes of visual <\/span>info<\/span> in a relatively compact space.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can spot them popping up in plenty of places nowadays. With a click of your smartphone\u2019s <\/span>camera,<\/span> they can quickly whisk you away to all kinds of sites.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You might see them pop up in TV ads, tacked up in a farmer\u2019s market stand, and stapled onto telephone poles as part of a concert poster. Restaurants place QR codes on their tables so you can order from your phone. Parking lots post them on signs so you can quickly pay for parking (like above). Your drugstore might post them on shelves so that you can download a digital coupon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone can create one. A quick search for \u201cQR code creator\u201d turns up dozens of results. Many <\/span>offer<\/span> QR codes free of charge. It\u2019s no wonder they show up in restaurants and farmer\u2019s markets the way they do. And now in scams too.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As it is anywhere people, devices, and money meet, scammers have weaseled their way into QR codes. With the QR code scam, pointing your smartphone\u2019s camera at a bogus QR code and giving it a scan, scammers can lead you to malicious websites and commit other attacks on your phone.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do QR code scams work?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In several ways, the <\/span>QR code scam works much like any other phishing attack<\/span><\/a>. With a few added wrinkles, of course.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Classically, phishing attacks use doctored links that pose as legitimate websites in the hopes you\u2019ll follow them to a scammer\u2019s malicious website. It\u2019s much the same with a QR code, yet they have a couple of big differences: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n