COLORADO SPRINGS — Still going strong following their popularity during the pandemic, QR codes can be found just about everywhere as a way to connect consumers with apps and websites. But fraudsters with fake QR codes continue to pose some problems.
”Around campus there’s a ton of QR codes,” said college student Hayden Gillespie.
He says he doesn’t hesitate to scan QR codes he sees on campus at UCCS, or when he visits places around town.
”I feel like if I even saw a QR Code like posted on a wall somewhere with no details or anything I’d be curious. I’d want to scan it. It’s human nature,” said Gillespie.
But Fraud experts like CSU Global’s “Dr. Fraud” J. Michael Skiba say you can’t always trust qr codes because some of them are being faked with bad intentions.
”A lot of times the fraudsters are putting stickers over them or are putting up signs that don’t belong at that location,” said Skiba.
One place fake QR codes have caused problems for consumers is on parking meters and in paid parking areas. Police in Austin, San Antonio, and Houston have all sent out warnings telling people to avoid the QR codes in parking areas because victims were being fooled into paying fraudsters for parking.
”What’s happening is when people scan those they look like a legitimate parking website and people are putting their payment information in and actually pay, but then will happen is they’ll come back to their car and there will be a ticket on it,” said Skiba.
It can be tough to tell the difference between a legitimate QR code and a fake one, so experts say it’s important to look at the details of the website you land on very carefully.
”If I see one, I’ll scan it probably, but I’ll be a little more conscience of checking out the website and seeing if it looks legit,” said Gillespie.
Investigators say they aren’t aware of any reports of fake QR codes impacting our area just yet, but if you’ve experienced QR code fraud we’d love to hear from you to help get the word out.
You can use this legitimate QR code to connect with our newsroom about this story or any other.
If you are planning any summer trips to areas you aren’t familiar with– this will definitely be a story to keep in mind.
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