The latest QR-enabled heist involves parking payments, and it has been spotted in major cities.
It’s generally best to avoid scanning a QR code of unknown origin, and caution is becoming more important as threats proliferate. Anybody can make a QR code in a matter of seconds using free online tools, leading anywhere the creator wants. Those black-and-white squares can direct a device to a webpage, trigger a file download or app install, or even initiate a payment, to name just a few examples. However, since most people are unlikely to scan random QR codes without good reason, scammers are finding creative ways to chum the digital waters. Their latest innovation? Malicious QR codes disguised as parking payment processors.
In the past, we’ve seen crafty criminals cram creepy codes in common contexts, hoping to con consumers. There’s the predictable menu scam, which leverages the trend of digital restaurant menus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic to entrap hungry diners. The FBI recently warned of another caper that involves scammers affixing QR codes to unsolicited packages which arrive without a return address — a perplexed recipient who scans them will be taken to a financial phishing page. Other QR code scams have forced companies to introduce countermeasures, which is why a screenshot of your concert ticket doesn’t work anymore.
The latest QR-enabled heist involves parking payments, and has been spotted in major cities from Los Angeles to Denver. With digital parking solutions more common than ever and drivers already in a hurry, the codes function as the perfect bait for scammers.
