![]() QR codes take people from the physical world to the online one. Officials in San Antonio, Texas, about 80 miles away, issued a warning after spotting similar stickers connected to a fake parking payment website. The department encourages anyone who thinks they may have had their credit card information stolen by the fake website to contact them.Īustin isn't the only city to experience bogus QR code scams. Police don't know how many people were duped. Instead of being taken to the city's authorized website or app, however, motorists who scanned the scam stickers were led to a fake website that collected their credit card information. Taking advantage of unsuspecting motorists might have been behind the nearly 30 malicious QR code stickers recently found on parking meters in Austin, Texas, which uses QR code technology to let drivers pay for parking online. But thinking twice about scanning a QR code with your smartphone camera isn't second nature for most people.Ī screenshot of the scam website drivers were led to when they used their phones to scan malicious QR code stickers on parking meters in Austin, Texas. Many people know they need to be on the lookout for phishy links and questionable attachments in emails that purport to be from the bank. Most recently, the FBI issued a warning advising consumers to think before they scan potentially sketchy QR codes. Experts say they still represent a small percentage of overall phishing, but numerous scams involving QR code have been reported to the Better Business Bureau, especially in the past year. Like any other phishing scheme, it's impossible to know exactly how often QR codes are used for malicious purposes. But it will take you to scammy websites designed to get bank account, credit card or other personal information. Scanning the bogus QR codes won't do anything to your phone, such as download malware in the background. Now they're being exploited by cybercriminals in a spin on an email phishing scam. Websites and apps have cropped up that let you make your own. They were first used by the automotive industry to manage production but have spread everywhere. QR codes - the abbreviation stands for "quick response" - were invented in Japan in the 1990s. "It's easier to manipulate people if they don't understand it." That's especially true with tech like QR codes, which people know how to use but might not know how they work, she says. "Anytime new technology comes out, cybercriminals try to find a way to exploit it," said Angel Grant, vice president of security at F5, an app security company. ![]() ![]() Scammers are creating their own malicious QR codes designed to dupe unwitting consumers into handing over their banking or personal information. Scan that little square and you'll find out what the house special is.Ĭybercriminals quickly took note and are starting to exploit the technology's undeniable convenience. Seeking to cut down on possible transmission, restaurants replaced physical menus available to all customers with online versions accessible on your own personal phone. The pandemic fueled a surge in the use of QR codes. The square barcodes show up everywhere: real estate listings, TV ads and social media posts touting what look like great deals on must-have items. You see QR codes just about everywhere these days.
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