FCC reminds consumers to keep ahead of the latest quishing strategies

Quishing QR Code Scam

Scammers are increasingly using QR codes as consumers become comfortable with scanning QR codes can be found virtually everywhere, but while they boost convenience in an affordable way, quishing scams are becoming a growing problem. As is the case with virtually everything digital, scammers are abusing QR codes Scanning QR codes is a practice used for everything from reading a menu at a restaurant to paying a utility bill. That said, as they are also a simple way to share personal information, they have also been worked into scams –…

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QR code accidentally shared online leads to $60,000 restaurant bill

QR code - Woman shocked by her bill

A woman in China mistakenly posted the quick response barcode online, letting others place orders. A woman living in China was understandably shocked, when she received a bill for about US$60,300 (430,000 Chinese yuan), after having accidentally shared the ordering QR code online, giving others the ability to place food orders on her tab. The woman was posting pictures on WeChat and mistakenly included the table’s ordering barcode. Though the woman’s intention was only to share pictures of the food she had ordered at the hotspot restaurant when she and…

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Quishing trends take off as smartphone users increasingly scammed by QR code scans

Quishing - QR code scam alert

A new report suggests that the number of attacks using quick response barcodes is up 587 percent. Quishing, that is, the practice of launching a cybersecurity attack by way of a QR code scan, is a trend that is rising much more rapidly than many smartphone users realize, placing them at risk of falling victim to one of these scams. According to a recent report, the rise in instances from August to September 2023 alone was a staggering 587 percent. Researchers from Check Point’s Harmony Email team observed thousands of…

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QR code payment tests in Singapore make transactions easier for merchants

QR code - Merchant mobile payments - Singapore Flag

A new system in the country uses one operator to accept 23 different payment methods. Merchants in Singapore will soon be able to use a single QR code to be able to accept nearly two dozen different digital payment methods in a trial starting this week through the central bank. Stores have been promised that the new system will reduce hassle for them and for their customers. With a rapidly growing number of apps and mobile wallets, merchants are finding it difficult – or even impossible – to accept them…

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QR code on Bayer OTC packaging to add accessibility for patients with blindness

QR code - OTC Medication on a shelf

The pharmaceutical company has updated its over-the-counter product packaging in the United Kingdom. German pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Bayer has announced that it is adding a QR code to the packaging of its over-the-counter (OTC) products in the United Kingdom to improve accessibility for patients who are blind or partially sighted. The barcodes have already been added to Canescool Soothing Gel Cream brand packaging. According to Bayer Consumer Health UK, that women’s health product is used for calming intimate area irritation and is the first product that will have the…

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