QR Codes and Personal Information
QR codes are becoming increasingly popular and are used in a variety of ways, such as to access menus at restaurants, pay for public parking, or board a flight. Unfortunately, scammers have found ways to exploit QR codes to steal personal information. Here are some tips to help you stay safe:
- Be cautious of QR codes in unexpected places: Scammers may cover up legitimate QR codes with their own, or send you a QR code by text message or email. If you see a QR code in an unexpected place, inspect the URL before you open it. If it looks like a URL you recognize, make sure it’s not spoofed — look for misspellings or a switched letter.
- Don’t scan QR codes in unsolicited messages: Scammers may send you a QR code by text message or email and make up a reason for you to scan it. These are all lies they tell you to create a sense of urgency. They want you to scan the QR code and open the URL without thinking about it. If you think the message is legitimate, use a phone number or website you know is real to contact the company.
- Protect your phone and accounts: Update your phone’s OS to protect against hackers and protect your online accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
- Be wary of suspicious messages: Scammers may lie and say they couldn’t deliver your package and you need to contact them to reschedule, pretend like there’s a problem with your account and you need to confirm your information or say they noticed suspicious activity on your account, and you need to change your password. These are all lies they tell you to create a sense of urgency. They want you to scan the QR code and open the URL without thinking about it. A scammer’s QR code could take you to a spoofed site that looks real but isn’t. And if you log in to the spoofed site, the scammers could steal any information you enter. Or the QR code could install malware that steals your information before you realize it.
By following these tips, you can help protect yourself from QR code scams and keep your personal information safe. For more information on how to take action and protect information from cybercriminals please visit our Client Security Center.