Most of us are “wise” to electronic scams. “Phishing” schemes keep us on our toes as to how we handle email from people we don’t know. “Boiler room” operators may call us by phone, trying to get us to part way with our money. But QR code scams? Who’d have thought it possible. Here’s important information from the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI.
QR codes seem to be everywhere. You may have scanned one to see the menu at a restaurant or pay for public parking. And you may have used one on your phone to get into a concert or sporting event, or to board a flight. There are countless other ways to use them, which explains their popularity. Unfortunately, scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal personal information.
How do QR code scams work?
There are reports of scammers covering up QR codes on parking meters with a QR code of their own. And some crafty scammers might send you a QR code by text message or email and make up a reason for you to scan it. These are some of the ways they try to con you:
- They lie and say they couldn’t deliver your package and you need to contact them to reschedule.
- They pretend that there’s a problem with your account and you need to confirm your information.
- They lie, saying they noticed suspicious activity on your account and you need to change your password.
These are all lies they tell you to create a sense of urgency. They want you to scan the QR code and open the URL without thinking about it. You can be conned by a QR code scam.
A scammer’s QR code could take you to a spoofed site that looks real but isn’t. And if you log in to the spoofed site, the scammers could steal any information you enter. Or the QR code could install malware that steals your information before you realize it.
Protect yourself from QR code scams
- If you see a QR code in an unexpected place, inspect the URL before you open it. If it looks like a URL you recognize, make sure it’s not spoofed—look for misspellings or a switched letter.
- Don’t scan a QR code in an email or text message you weren’t expecting—especially if it urges you to act immediately. If you think the message is legitimate, use a phone number or website you know is real to contact the company.
- Do not scan a randomly found QR code.
- Be suspicious if, after scanning a QR code, the site asks for a password or login info.
- Some scammers are physically pasting bogus codes over legitimate ones. If it looks as though a code has been tampered with, don’t use it. Same thing with legitimate ads you pick up or get in the mail.
- Protect your phone and accounts. Update your phone’s operating system to protect against hackers and protect your online accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
For more information, click here.
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Thanks Russ-Tina: So sad – we have the marvelous technology and we use it at our peril! The tech is passing me by like a bolt of lightning!
Over the last several months, I have had a few emails indicating that my package cannot be delivered without additional information. As I hover over the sender’s email address, it will show that it is not coming from the delivery company nor the company I ordered from. Fortunately, I have found these messages in my Spam folder and been able to delete them without ever opening them.
Thanks for this great report Russ and Tina. Helpful reminder.
Thank you, Russ and Tina! I appreciate you warning me of this scheme. Just bears out the old, old saying, “you can’t be too careful.”
Most of the time if you look closely you’ll find a word misspelled or some other item is wrong. As a DA in AL several years ago told us on the Grand Jury, the prisons are full of stupid criminals, the smart ones are still on the streets committing their crimes. Usually the stupid ones are running these scams and that’s why the mistakes in spelling etc. these are the small time criminals trying to make enough money for their next drug deal. If you look closely you’ll spot their screw up that gives their scam away. I just wish law enforcement thought they were big enough to spend the time tracking them down.
We recently received an email from “UPS” about needing more information about delivery of a package, the email had a cartoon type drawing of a UPS truck! If I can find it I will post it ( I probably deleted it ) it was pretty funny!
Another reason to avoid/delete unknown e-mails.