Quishing: Over the past few years, QR codes have become increasingly significant in our lives. widely used for a variety of reasons, and their influence has probably only increased. It’s widely used for mobile payments, frequently used in marketing campaigns to give customers easy access to websites, special offers, product details, or multimedia content, digital menus and ordering in restaurants, social login platforms, Two-Factor Authentication, and a lot more. However, scammers have found a way to use this technology to defraud people as well. In an effort to steal money, personal information, and identities, scammers are turning to quishing as their most recent tactic. Read on to know all about this new scam.
What is Quishing?
The possibilities with QR codes are endless. Nearly anything may be encoded in one of those squares, including contact information, WiFi passwords, website addresses, and more. Furthermore, anyone can create their own with free online QR code tools.
Hackers are creating QR codes that lead people to phoney websites after seeing a new opportunity. The user will then be prompted to divulge important personal data, such as credit card numbers or passwords, just like on a conventional phishing website. On occasion, the victim could be persuaded to download malicious software from the website.
Sometimes, in order to send money, these QR codes also ask the victim to input their UPI PIN. The scammer gets the user’s UPI PIN when they enter it, and they can use it to steal money.
How to stay safe?
- Refrain from scanning QR codes in places where anyone may access them, especially if you are unsure of who posted them.
- If you receive a QR code by email or message from an unknown sender, do not scan it.
- Examine the URL before clicking on it when you scan a QR code that contains a link.
- Social media QR codes shouldn’t be scanned since they might contain dangerous files.
- If the QR code contains a shortened URL, stay away from clicking it unless you are certain of the source.
- Make sure the website you visit after scanning a QR code is legitimate and not a phishing attempt.
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