Criminals use QR codes to scam people and plunder their bank accounts. This way you stay safe!
QR code scams: this is what’s going on
Nowadays you increasingly see QR codes being used to order or pay for something. In restaurants, for example, you can grab a drink and then pay with a QR code. You can also often pay by using such a code when parking your car.
Of course it’s all very useful, but scammers are now using these QR codes to steal your money. That is (fortunately) not easy. The scammers have to do something about this themselves.
They must first properly recreate the website to which a QR code links. They then put the internet address of the website in a new QR code. They then paste this code over the old QR code.
Scams occur in the Netherlands and Belgium
In the Netherlands, this method of fraud still only occurs sparingly. This mainly concerns fraud with fraudulent QR codes in leaflets or door-to-door leaflets. In Belgium it is a bigger problem and this form of scam is already appearing at charging stations for electric cars. The consumer association calls this form of fraud Qishing. It is a portmanteau of QR code and phishing.
This is how you stay safe
To stay safe, after scanning a QR code, always check carefully what web address is in the yellow bar on your iPhone. Check whether this web address is correct and there is no unknown URL. Also check for spelling errors in the link.
The consumer association says that a shortened link (such as bit.ly) is always a reason to pay close attention. Is such a link used? Then you are probably dealing with a scammer. If you have already scanned the code, you can still check the address in the address bar of the browser.
Scan a QR code with your iPhone: this is how you do it
You do not need to download a separate app to scan a QR code with your iPhone. This function is built-in as standard in the Camera app. Follow the steps below to scan a QR code.
- Open the Camera app on your iPhone;
- Point the camera at the QR code;
- The iPhone recognizes the QR code and a yellow bar containing the web address appears;
- Tap the notification to open the QR code link.
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