2y ago

QR codes can be phishing scams in disguise, warns the FTC - The Verge

www.theverge.com

Be wary of QR code scams, warns the FTC

Sharing The Verge link due to context provided and NYT paywall.

13 comments

The Times wrote that the most popular scams involved payroll and HR personnel impersonators and postal scams, among others. Early last year, police in several Texas cities said they’d found fraudulent QR codes placed on parking meters, directing people to a false payment site.
- Is putting a QR code on a meter actually illegal? What if it just takes you to a donate page or a website related to some sort of campaign?
This is exactly why restaurants shouldn't use QR codes as menus, they're attack vectors - anyone can just come in and slap on their own QR sticker.
This is why I've never scanned a public QR code. I wouldn't trust this random qr code to open a link on my phone. Which is unfortunate because I can see how it makes things easier for restaurants
- Why not just use a QR code scanner that shows you the link before you browse to it?
  
  Unfortunately they often use link shorteners so it's just gibberish.
  But I use one like that. I always look at the url first.
- The grapheneos camera shows you the link when you scan a qr code and then its up to you to decide to go to the site or not. It makes scanning qr codes safer then apps that automatically open scanned links.
  
  You can also install URLCheck, then you'll be safe with any app
- This made me realise it would probably be trivially easy to make QR code stickers that first lead to a phishing page (please enter your payment details) followed by a link to a restaurants actual online ordering page.
  Those restaurant ordering apps look so dodgy anyway I bet a quarter of people wouldn't suspect a thing.
  
  No joke. Plus I see them all over airports in various languages. I'm sure many people fall victim to QR code scams
I highly doubt the QR code on MY phone is gonna scam me. It's just for the carwash place to let me in
- QR codes can literally be anything. They are actually very dangerous

13 comments