QR Codes: Convenient, But Now a Bit Risky
QR codes are everywhere these days — restaurants, parking meters, concert tickets, even on flyers stuck to light poles. They’re super convenient. Just point your phone, scan, and you’re taken right where you need to go. But lately, cybercriminals have started using QR codes in a sneaky new way called quishing — a twist on phishing, but with QR codes.
What Actually Happens When You Scan One
So here’s the deal — scammers are now using QR codes to trick people into visiting fake websites. You scan what looks like a normal code, and boom, it opens a site that asks for your login info or even your credit card. Sometimes it tries to download something weird to your phone. The tricky part? There’s really no way to tell if a QR code is shady just by looking at it.
Where These Fake Codes Pop Up
You’ll see them in the most random places — stuck on parking meters, mailed as fake notices, or even in emails that look official. One time, I was at a café and noticed a sticker with a QR code slapped right over the one on the menu stand. It looked totally normal until I saw the edges peeling. That was enough to make me pause and double-check the link before tapping anything.
How to Stay Safehttp://QR codes are being weaponized in new quishing attacks, and most people don’t realize Without Giving Up QR Codes
Honestly, I still use QR codes all the time — mostly for boarding passes and payments. I just try to be a bit more careful now. If a code sends you to a site asking for personal info, just take a second to look at the URL. And if it came from a random flyer or a weird email, maybe skip it. There are even apps that can warn you about dodgy links, which might be worth installing.
Final Thoughts
QR codes are still super handy. I’m not ditching them — just treating them with the same caution I’d give to clicking a random link in a text. Basically, if something feels off, trust that gut feeling.