You may want to think twice before scanning a QR code with your cell phone. Some criminals are replacing the QR code that businesses put on things with another one that redirects you to a website that installs software on your cell phone to help them access your financial information and steal your money. New scam alert
I've thought about this for years. Get a good web address via Typo Squatting. Victim visits malicious webpage that hosts a drive by download and bam, you gots the malware. You could get creative and scan and edit legit documents and replace the QR code with the malicious one. Think paper menus. Grab one, take it home and doctor it up, print a bunch of copies, come back and add them to the stack of originals. I'd like to see an experiment where someone places a QR code, with no description, in a place where it has no business being. Have it link to a unknown website with a counter on it. I wonder how many people would go to a random site, from a random qr code, in a random location. EDIT: I guess I should have visited the link first, pretty much covered what I said.
I'm thinking about carrying a 10-lb rotary phone around with me, just to be sure that the QR code doesn't cause any trouble.
Why do people ever, ever do anything related to their personal finances on their phones? I will never feel badly for people who get their phones hacked. Mobile phones - make calls, send texts, take pictures of dogs or cats, use Googie or other browser to look up useless trivia quickly and navigate.
Don't recall ever using a QR code. Having spent several years helping people clean up their PCs when XP was in its heyday I am suspicious of software by nature.
Then they have wasted their money on the wrong device. They are broadcasting their entire life to anyone who wants to read it.
I've actually started to delete all apps that tie into any financial data. The only thing I use my phone for now is make calls and text. I think more and more people will do this to the point it brings back the flip phone. We are seeing the end of the smartphone.
Don’t scan that QR code! Hackers are using them to steal your info and money (msn.com) While convenient and entertaining, scanning a QR code can expose you to malware and scams. The FBI just issued a warning regarding schemes where cybercriminals tamper with legitimate QR codes to redirect potential victims to phishing sites. In cases where payment can be made with QR codes, a criminal can tamper with the code to redirect payments elsewhere. Fraudulent QR codes are even being placed on parking meters in cities around the U.S. When a driver scans the code to pay for parking, they’re taken to a fake website designed to scam them out of their money. The more digital we go, the more creative the criminals get
The FBI issued the following tips on what to watch for and when you should avoid scanning QR codes altogether: Once you scan a QR code, check the URL to make sure it is the intended site and looks authentic. A malicious domain name may be similar to the intended URL but with typos or a misplaced letter. Practice caution when entering login, personal, or financial information from a site navigated to from a QR code. If scanning a physical QR code, ensure the code has not been tampered with, such as with a sticker placed on top of the original code. Do not download an app from a QR code. Use your phone’s app store for a safer download. If you receive an email stating a payment failed from a company you recently made a purchase with and the company states you can only complete the payment through a QR code, call the company to verify. Locate the company’s phone number through a trusted site rather than a number provided in the email. Do not download a QR code scanner app. This increases your risk of downloading malware onto your device. Most phones have a built-in scanner through the camera app. If you receive a QR code that you believe to be from someone you know, reach out to them through a known number or address to verify that the code is from them. Avoid making payments through a site navigated to from a QR code. Instead, manually enter a known and trusted URL to complete the payment.
I was very surprised to find out that I cannot get Covid test results without scanning a QR code and adding an app for my cell phone. What do they do for elderly people that don't have a smart phone?
I agree my nuece told me the smart phone was greatest invention ever and she doesn't know how she could live without it.