Quote:With the use of QR codes rising, so, too, are the numbers of scams that aim to take advantage them. Researchers warned that threat actors are going so far as to send potential victims to gas stations to use Bitcoin ATMs in their endeavors to exploit the technology.
 
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) also warned recently that consumers should watch out for a growing list of scams using QR codes — which are appearing everywhere these days as a simple and contactless way to share information.
 
QR codes are the square, scannable codes familiar from applications like touchless menus at restaurants, and have gained in popularity over the pandemic as contactless interactions have become the norm. Simply navigating a smartphone camera over the image allows the device’s QR translator—built into most mobile phones—to “read” the code and open a corresponding website.

This simplicity of use is exactly what makes them so attractive for scammers; the very nature of the technology has already set up a trust relationship with its user, researchers from Malwarebytes Labs pointed out. Most of these scams begin with someone receiving an email, a direct message on social media, a text message, a flyer or a piece of mail that includes a QR code, and proceed from there. Once the person scans the code with their mobile device, they’re taken to a malicious website.