Fraudulent QR Codes

Familiarity with QR codes presents businesses with an opportunity to easily direct people to the company website, mobile app and more. Restaurants often use QR codes to direct diners to the menu, preventing the spread of germs and saving the business money in the process.  There are also many other helpful uses for QR codes.  However, scammers follow the technology and use QR codes to carry out various schemes.

Here are some recent ways scammers are using QR codes:

Parking meter payment.  Fraudulent QR codes can be placed on the back of parking meters, leading vehicle owners to assume parking can be paid for through the QR code. Con artists easily create a QR code for free online, which is then printed on stickers to either cover up a legitimate QR code or placed where it makes the most logical sense on the meter.

Phishing scams.  The design of QR codes makes it impossible for the user to know where the code will direct them after scanning.  This allows scammers to direct victims to phishing websites to collect personal and/or financial information, or download malware or spyware to their device.

Utility and government impostors.  Scammers claim to represent the local utility company with a past due balance, or a government agency such as the Social Security Administration or IRS, regarding an outstanding debt.  The con artist makes it easy for the victim to pay immediately in full by scanning a QR code.  The payment portal the victim is directed to often mimics the real portal down to the finest detail, providing a false sense of security that the site is legitimate.

How to avoid QR code scams:

Confirm the QR code before scanning.  If you receive a QR code from a friend via text or a message on social media, be sure to confirm with the person they meant to send you the code and haven’t been hacked.

Don’t open links from strangers.  If you receive an unsolicited message from someone you don’t know that includes a QR code, BBB recommends not scanning it, especially if it contains promises of an exciting gift or an investment opportunity.

Be wary of short links.  Ensure you are confident that the QR code is legitimate before following short links as you may be sent to a malicious website.

Check for tampering.  Some scammers attempt to mislead consumers by altering legitimate business ads or placing stickers over the top of legitimate QR codes.  Keep an eye out for tampering.  Most businesses permanently install scannable QR codes using laminate and placing it behind glass in their establishment.

Report it.  If you’ve experienced a scam with a fraudulent QR code, report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker.  Your report helps to warn others of the scams taking place in the marketplace.

Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin