Organised gangs behind rise in QR 'quishing' scams

QR code 'quishing' scams up 14-fold in five years 3 days ago Share Save Joanna Morris BBC Shared Data Unit Share Save BBC Councils across the country have issued warnings about fake QR codes in car parks Organised crime gangs are behind a sharp rise in scams linked to fraudulent QR codes, experts say. The national fraud reporting centre Action Fraud received 1,386 reports of people being targeted last year, compared with 100 in 2019. Contactless payment hotspots - like parking meters and restaurant menus - are common targets of criminals who stick their own QR codes on signage. Katherine Hart, lead officer at the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, said: "We've seen huge amounts lost this way. People have seen their life savings gone and that money is going to finance criminals." She said quishing was significantly under-reported and presented a "huge challenge" to authorities globally. 'Hierarchy of criminals' Fraudulent and misleading codes have also been spotted on parcels, ... Read full article.