QR Scams – Quishing. - Neighbourhood Alert

QR Scams – Quishing.

Good Morning Resident

Quishing is a new form of phishing where a fraudulent QR code is scanned, designed to steal personal and financial information.

We have had a report of quishing in Scarborough last week at a car park on Dean Road.

An unknown person attached a QR code, on a sticker, to the sign next to a parking machine. It was placed in a way that you could mistake it for being part of the general sign.

When scanned, the code took the victim to a website which mimicked one of the national apps for paying for parking. The information then requested, was designed to fraudulently take information and money from the victim. Thankfully, in this case, the victim received an alert from their bank and there was no financial loss.

The company who hosts the car park has immediately taken steps to have the QR code removed from all their car parks in the area.

What can you do avoid being a victim of quishing?

QR codes used in pubs or restaurants are usually safe to scan. – Run your hand over the code to ensure nothing has been placed upon it.

Scanning QR codes in open spaces (like stations and car parks) might pose a greater risk. Check for signs that codes may have been tampered with (usually by a sticker placed over the legitimate QR code). If in doubt, do not scan them: use a search engine to find the official website or app for the organisation you need to make a payment to.

If you receive an email with a QR code in it, and you're asked to scan it, you should be cautious due to an increase in these types of 'quishing' attacks.

Finally, we recommend that you use the QR-scanner that comes with your phone, rather than using an app downloaded from an app store.

Preview the website address before following it. When you scan a QR code, you should see the address pop up before you’re redirected to it. Check the address to make sure it corresponds with what you were expecting.

Kind Regards

Nathan

Reply to this message

Message Sent By
Nathan Stuart
(North Yorkshire Police, PCSO, North Yorkshire)