QR code scams: How to identify and be safe from such tricks
Mint reported that Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s daughter Harshita became a victim of an online scam. She tried to sell an old sofa set at an online second-hand marketplace but was, instead, duped at ₹34,000. Several such cases have come to the fore of late.
The scam starts with someone putting an item on an online sale website. That’s when the fraudsters pose as buyers and share the QR code to pay an advance or token amount. They then create a QR code and share it with the intended victim through WhatsApp or email.
They will ask the victim to scan the QR code sent by them so that they will receive the money directly into their bank accounts. Believing them, the victims scan QR codes sent by the fraudsters presuming that they will receive the money in their account but they end up losing money. To identify scams, firstly users should know that QR code is only scanned to send money and not to receive money.
"Another important practice is to inspect the URL or website linked to the QR code. Ensure that it begins with "https://" to indicate a secure connection, and be wary of misspellings or suspicious variations in the domain name. Consumers should beware and alert to make correct decisions and protect themselves from falling prey to QR code scams," said Amit Kumar, Chief Technology Officer, Easebuzz “Deceptive tactics extend to emails, with scammers posing as reputable companies, leading to potential identity theft and malicious software downloads.
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