QR Code scam: what is it and how to protect yourself

In recent years, it has become increasingly common for organizations to rely on digital solutions to both streamline the company’s daily life and optimize the customer experience. One of the tools that has become popular is the QR Code, an easy and fast resource that allows the customer to access menus, check their information and pay.

However, the increasing popularity of the QR code has opened doors to scammers as well. – owner used manipulated QR Codes to steal personal or banking data from third parties.

That’s what happened to an elderly woman in Singapore earlier this year. When the woman read a QR Code from a store with her cell phone camera, she didn’t realize it was a manipulated code and lost about $20,000. In Brazil, fraud using technology by people across the country has also been reported.

What is QR Code scam?

it’s a blow the criminal redirects the user to a malicious link by replacing the original QR Code of one organization with another capable of stealing mobile phone data. With this information, scammers can access banks, social networks and implement various types of fraud with the user’s account.

In short, scammers visit a place and analyze how the QR Code is presented to customers. i did this they print a code in a similar format and paste it over the original, causing consumers to unknowingly scan the code..

But after all, how to tell if a QR Code is correct? First, it’s worth figuring out how many versions of the code there are. Web application programming expert Bendev Junior explains More than 40 versions of QR Codeare numbered from 1 to 40. Each version has a different size matrix, ranging from 21×21 to 177×177 cells. The higher the version, the more cells the QR Code contains and allows you to store a larger amount of data.

In practice, a person can try to identify a fake QR Code by paying attention to the design details. Legitimate QR Codes have professional design, clean and aligned edges. For this reason, Printing errors, misalignments, or questionable visual features may indicate an incorrect code. Besides paying attention to the design of the code, it’s worth staying also beware if stickers are pasted over the original code.

If you fall for a QR Code scam, it’s important to file a police report online. In addition, attorney and legal counsel Dr. Lorrana Gomes says that in such cases, the organization should be responsible for the damage. “The organization may also appear to be victimized, but it is specifically tasked with ensuring the safety of the client with the tools it offers,” the lawyer said.

how do you protect yourself

To avoid headaches, expert Bendev Junior suggests some attitudes that can reduce the likelihood of a scam involving QR Codes:

• Make sure the QR Code comes from a trusted source. If you are in a physical store, check whether the code was provided by the company or by an authorized employee;

• Use a QR Code reader app specific to your smartphone, such as the official app store for your operating system. This is because official apps have security mechanisms that detect malicious code;

• Before scanning the QR Code, check that the destination URL is reliable and authentic;

• Legitimate companies usually do not request sensitive information via QR Codes. For this reason, be wary of codes that ask for sensitive personal informationsuch as passwords, credit card numbers or credentials;

• Inform the facility if you suspect any irregularity in the QR Code; The app can prevent others from falling for fraud.

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