Scammers using QR codes to steal your personal information

With QR codes gaining popularity, experts warn to look closely before using your phone to get instant access

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Since the pandemic, QR codes have gained popularity by making it convenient for people to connect with information. Touchless menus gave instant access when people went out to eat. Now, quick response codes are used for other information. 

Crypto company, Coinbase, spent roughly $14 million on a Super Bowl ad. Unfortunately, the FBI warned that scammers are also using that technology.

MORE NEWS: 4 steps to spot an impostor website so you don’t get scammed

“Apparently that was a big enough attention-getter and big enough draw for Coinbase that it got other entities, scammers, involved in this saying, ‘Wow, if there’s that many people that are willing to click on QR codes, in a situation like that, we’ve got to ramp these out,” Tom Bortholomy, President/CEO at Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont and Western North Carolina, said.

Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter

A parking meter scam using QR codes happened in Austin, Texas in early January. Criminals made their own QR code stickers and put them on parking meters. When drivers used their phones to pay, victims…

Read more…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *