Back around the beginning of 2022, I wrote a blog post about how people should be very cautious and wary of the QR code. Go have a read if you missed it the first time around.

In the months since, QR codes have exploded in popularity. You see them in ads, streaming services, packages, restaurants, print media, EVERYWHERE.

My unpopular opinion for today: I have always been rather anxious and wary of QR codes, because it’s so easy to create malicious ones, and the everyday person would have NO idea knowing if the code they were about to scan is a legitimate one or not.

This morning, I posted a link to this article on Bleeping Computer’s site on my Mastodon account. Criminals are becoming bolder and bolder with these codes, using them in fake surveys and even phony parking violation tickets (!!) to separate people from their hard-earned money with as little effort as possible. I encourage you all to read the article, and there’s even a picture of the fake parking ticket.

It’s time to be even more skeptical of the codes we are scanning. Thankfully, most camera apps nowadays can give a name to the site the code leads to, but even then, it’s no guarantee that the site is safe or legitimate.

Stay safe out there!