Spanish Police Warn Of New QR Code Scam
Spain News
Published: 07 September 2021 13:57 CET
Spain’s national police force has warned of a new QR code scam that has been used to target residents within the Malaga region.
Via their Twitter account, the Policia Nacional warned that this particular scam which used fake QR codes is currently being used to obtain the personal banking data and other credentials of victims.
Although the scam is currently being perpetrated in the Malaga province, it is feasible that it will spread throughout the country, the police warned.
QR codes store information in two-dimensional barcodes which can be read by software and apps on devices such as smartphones. Once scanned, the QR codes can instantly send you to a location online such as a map, an email address a web page or a profile on a social network.
The National Police explained that due to the recent pandemic, “citizens have changed their habits and its consequences are having an impact not only on the daily life of the population but also on different activities they carry out through the use of such technologies".
When people go about their day to day activities, they check prices at gyms, restaurants, cinemas, shops and other outlets where they use the QR codes for convenience and to save time.
However, the National Police say this is where the problem lies in that many codes are “exploited by scammers” who create fake QR codes in order to obtain an individual’s private data.
Image Credit: Policía Nacional
In an attempt to offer some advice to citizens, the national police wanted to make people aware of the dangers so they can avoid becoming the next victim of such crimes.
They said that it is very important that people “do not click on unknown links received via email or SMS and to be particularly careful when scanning an unknown QR code.”
People are advised to be aware that QR codes, such as those found in shops and other offline media which can have a fake QR code stuck over the top of the original. This will then direct the user to a malicious page that will then attempt to obtain their credentials.
Posters that have QR codes and announce offers, raffles, gifts and other incentives are a common place for fake QR codes to be found.
The police said in many cases it is better to make a note of the offer and then search online to determine whether the offer is legitimate or not.
The police recommend that users “take the initiative” and not take the bait.
They said that if you must use a QR code application on your phone that you make sure it is configured so that it does not automatically redirect you to the page or content it is pointing to. You can also install a reader app that allows you to preview the link first.
Source
https://www.malagahoy.es/malaga/estafa-Malaga-codigos-QR_0_1608139523.html
