17. Anyone who walked into a restaurant during the pandemic knows that the QR code is a contactless (无接触) way to look at a menu. But the Better BusinessBureau (BBB) is warning customers that they need to be extra careful if they're sent a digitally readable square known as a QR code.
One victim told the BBB that they received a cheating letter about student loan. It contained a QR code that appeared to link to the official Studentaid. govwebsite. The QR code also helped the letter, which was part of a cheating, appear official.
As the QR codes have become more commonly used, the BBB notes that it has received reports of scammers using the system to their advantage across the United States. "This is much like a phishing scam," Laura, director of marketing for Eastern Michigan, said. "Just like clicking links, you have to be careful what website you're opening on your smartphone. If you've never heard of the organization or the website where the QR code is supposed to go to, that's a huge
red flag." She said the use of the QR code by scammers offers another way to steal personal information or get you to download malware (恶意软件) onto your smartphone.
The scammers can now send messages to one or all people in a user's address book , or even send a payment to where it cannot be recovered, according to the U. S. Army Major Cybercrime Unit. "In some scams, the QR code takes you to a phishing website, where you are required to enter your personal information for scammers to steal," the BBB warned. "Other times, scammers use QR codes to payment apps or follow a bad social media account."
Scams can differ, but the scammers want you to scan the code right away. What you need to do, though, is to step back and make sure any information is legitimate(合法的) before you scan the code. Phone the friend or coworker directly to see what they might have sent, and make sure the sender wasn't hacked.
Adam Levin, an expert, says it's a good rule of thumb to turn your smartphoneoff and restart it regularly. "Many forms of malware that live in your smartphone, such as spyware, depend on the device never being turned off. "Levin said.