You have just been the subject of a QR Code Phishing education campaign.

Fortunately, you’ve just been taken to a link that explains the risk. That QR code that you just scanned could have easily done a whole lot more, and possibly led to your accounts being compromised.

When you scan a QR code, do you know what’s going to happen?

Embedded within the code will typically be a link to a website. This will often be displayed as a short code, and so it can be difficult to verify where the link will take you. Whilst most QR codes are created for marketing purposes, attendance management, Covid registrations, or to work with systems such as stock control or deliveries, codes can easily be created to send you to a malicious website.

A simple QR code could lead you to a fake website, designed to harvest your login credentials for some genuine site or system, or it could lead you to some malware. This is malicious software that could steal or damage your data, compromise a network,  make premium rate calls without your knowledge, and even undertake transactions using your stored payment methods.

Next time you see a random QR code, think twice before you scan it!

For more guidance on staying safe online and avoiding cyber crime, take a look at the other articles on this site.