Les Howard Scam

Les Howard, a 61-year-old man from Widnes, was visiting Caernarfon in North Wales with his wife when he encountered a QR code on a parking meter. The code was supposed to allow him to download a parking app and pay for parking using his phone. However, Howard soon realized that he had become the victim of a scam, with criminals taking money from his bank account in £60 chunks.

According to Report Fraud, reports of QR code-related scams have increased by 700% in the past four years. Experts say that criminals are finding new ways to exploit QR codes as they become more common in everyday life. This can include disguising suspicious links in emails, gaining access to victims' messaging apps, or convincing people to download fraudulent apps to steal their money and data.

QR Code Scams on the Rise

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) advises people to use the QR scanner that comes with their phone, rather than downloading a separate app. This is because some apps contain adverts, making it hard to know which link to click on. Keith Betton, a 66-year-old man from Surrey, was scammed after scanning a QR code on an advert for a book about sports cars. He was offered two links, one to buy the book and another to a website where he was asked to enter payment details. Within seconds, he had agreed to a zero-pound transaction on his banking app, which later resulted in two charges of £59.99 being taken from his account.

The NCSC said that QR codes are also being used in phishing emails to disguise links to malicious sites. Microsoft reported that this is the fastest-growing scam technique aimed at people's emails, with 18.7m cases recorded in March of this year. Professor Filipo Sharevski of DePaul University in Chicago, who has studied the malicious use of QR codes, said that the black and white squares make it easier for criminals to hide the true website they are taking you to.

Prevention and Awareness

To avoid falling victim to QR code scams, it is essential to be cautious when scanning QR codes, especially those found in public places or received via email. The NCSC recommends using the QR scanner that comes with your phone and being wary of apps that ask for payment details or other sensitive information. By being aware of the risks associated with QR codes and taking steps to protect yourself, you can reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of a scam. The council responsible for car parks in the area where Howard was scammed, Cyngor Gwynedd, said it did not use QR codes for parking payments and had removed two fake QR code stickers from its car parks in the past year.