QR codes are among the few “winners” of the coronavirus pandemic, the joke goes, because restaurants and other businesses have deployed them in far greater numbers over the past few years, in an effort to make more interactions contactless.
The FBI is warning, however, that scammers love them, too.
The bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), issued a general alert Tuesday about “malicious” QR codes that reroute unsuspecting consumers to the world of cybercrime.
“[C]ybercriminals are taking advantage of this technology by directing QR code scans to malicious sites to steal victim data, embedding malware to gain access to the victim’s device, and redirecting payment for cybercriminal use,” the announcement says.-
[cyberscoop.com]
I sometimes have to use the QR code taped to the table to see the menu, but not to pay. I hope the menu QR codes are safe enough. I usually peruse the menu online from home prior to arriving at the restaurant, and sometimes order and pay in advance too, so I quite often can skip the QR code menu. I hope I'm safe enough.