In the middle of the digital age, practically every day we meet new scams that seek to steal the personal and / or banking data of the victims . Now that most bars and restaurants have replaced paper letters with QR codes printed on the tables or at the entrance of the premises. It is as easy as pointing the camera of the mobile phone towards them to see the chart on the screen. Well, there are hackers who are using QR codes to access users’ bank accounts . The Provincial Police Station of Malaga has already detected several cases in which they use these QR codes.
The first thing to keep in mind is that a QR code cannot be hacked as such. What cybercriminals do is create QR codes for victims to scan, believing that this way they will be able to consult the menu of a bar or restaurant, but in reality what they are doing is letting a malicious virus enter their phone .
Ángela García, cybersecurity technician for citizens at the National Cybersecurity Institute (Incibe), explains that, when reading a fraudulent QR code, malware is executed on the phone . It may also be the case that users are redirected to a fraudulent website in which personal or banking information is requested under some type of deception, such as a raffle or a gift.
We are very used to scanning QR codes , and we do not stop to think that a malicious one can download an application that steals our data. Hackers can also track our internet activity and even send email and WhatsApp messages on our behalf without us knowing.
Security advice
The most recommended thing is that we download an application on the Smartphone that allows us to see in advance the link of the page to which the QR code will redirect us .
Regarding the QR code, it is important that we make sure that it has not been tampered with or is a sticker above the real code of the bar or restaurant .
The most sensible thing to avoid falling into these types of traps is to use common sense . In the event of the slightest doubt, it is better not to download any files or enter any page.
