The digital age has made life more convenient, with phones being used to pay for parking, view restaurant menus and much more. But such convenience comes with risks, as scammers exploit websites, emails, text messages, QR codes and other digital tools to steal personal or financial information.
Fraudulent QR codes are a growing problem. Scammers can place a sticker over a legitimate QR code to get you to a website where they can steal personal information, including your credit-card numbers.
The Better Business Bureau has reported that phony QR codes on parking signs have directed some consumers to scam websites when they try to pay. Also, if you scan a QR code that gives you a link to a spoofed site, that site could try to download spyware, ransomware or other malicious software to your device.
In any situation, if a QR code appears to have been tampered with or is covering up another QR code, do not click the link that the QR code populates. Always inspect the link generated by the QR code and, if anything seems amiss, do not click it.
For additional protection, consumers should consider downloading a QR code reader app on their device instead of just using a device camera to decipher the QR code. Some QR code readers warn users about websites that are likely designed by scammers.
Besides using phony QR codes, many fraudsters continue to send suspicious links via email or text message. Here are additional signs that correspondence you have received may be a scam:
- The link asks you for personal identifiable information.
- You are pressured to act immediately.
- Payment is sought by gift card, cryptocurrency, peer-to-peer payment (i.e. Venmo or Cash App), wire transfer or prepaid money card.
- You’re told not to tell friends or family about a conversation or exchange.
- You’re told that you’ve won something you didn’t enter to win, or you’re unexpectedly being given money.
Consumers who believe they have been defrauded should immediately report the details and contact the company they used to make the payment. Ohioans can report scams to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or by calling 800-282-0515.