QR codes are everywhere.
And so are QR scams.
In Ireland this week, The Irish Independent and many others have been warning the public about fake QR codes attached to parking meters.
One Irish victim admitted losing over €100 after entering her card details onto the fake site that the QR code brought her to.
Gardaí have reported another victim lost over €1,000 as a result of the same scam.
A picture paints a thousand words.
A picture of a QR code could cost you a thousand notes.
So what?
These stories may focus on parking meters, but the same scam can work wherever you see a QR code*:
- Restaurant menus,
- Stickers stuck to lampposts,
- Ads in the newspaper,
- Even QR codes sent to you via email or in documents.
While these parking meter scams target consumers, cyber criminals are also using QR codes to get past your organisation’s security defences so their dodgy emails can land into your staff members’ inboxes.
What’s my point?
As I said back in February 2023, QR codes are handy. And hazardous.
They should really be called RQ codes..
Because if you always trust them, your judgement is Really Questionable.
(*It’s easy to generate a QR code for any website or message. I dare you to trust the one below – It’s safe, trust me!)
