Scam of the Week: QR codes

You may be familiar with QR codes—the square black and white barcodes you can scan with your phone’s camera to be instantly directed to a website or mobile app.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals can use QR codes to their advantage. This scam begins when you receive a package in the mail that you weren’t expecting. There’s no return address or sender information, but a QR code is printed on the box.

However, the package, which contains an item of little to no value, is just a trick to get you to scan the code. It was sent by cybercriminals, and they hope you will be tempted to scan the code to find out where the package came from. If you scan the QR code, you’ll be taken to a fake website and asked to enter your personal information so that cybercriminals can steal it. The website could even secretly install malware on your device!

Follow these tips to avoid falling for this QR code scam:

• Be suspicious of any package you receive that you didn’t order, especially if it has no sender information.
• Never scan a QR code from a source you don’t recognize or trust. Cybercriminals can use them to send you to malicious websites.
• Be careful about allowing websites and apps to access your phone’s data after scanning a code. Cybercriminals can use these websites and apps to steal your data or download malware to your device.

For more information on IT Security, visit USI.edu/it/security.