Cyber ​​scams are common among unsuspecting users, but sometimes the strategies to steal data or money surpass even the most prepared. A new modality is quishing, similar to phishing, but this is related to QR codes.
QR codes are very useful because they are easy to store large data in a simple image, which we scan with our mobile phone and access. Well, the quishing scam is linked to this information system that we will tell you about below.
What is quishing?
Quishing is a word that is combined with QR and phishing, it is quite similar to this scam because it seeks to catch unsuspecting users, but using QR codes. Let us remember that these are two-dimensional barcodes that store information, but for a scam they store a website that upon entering will steal your personal data.
In these cases it can be difficult to fall for a scam, considering that not everyone enters a QR code that they get on the street. However, Scammers do pre-design work, quite realistic that can fool even the most genius.
For this they use business cards with a very business design, even from well-known brands where any user can fall. These cards can be handed out by people on the street, in shopping centers or send it by mail.
Anyways What the QR code hides is a website where they can request profile or banking account information from you.. If you enter them instantly, your information will be stolen to the point of losing your digital identity or the money in your accounts.
How to avoid falling into quishing?
The most sensible thing in these cases is Do not scan a QR code that you have seen on the internet, in an email or if you get it on the street. Much less if it is given to you by a person you do not know or who you have not requested, we must be cautious with this.
On the other hand, the QR may be real and give you timely information about what you are looking for, but you need to verify the card carefully. For example, if you enter a store and the commercial advisor gives it to you, it is reliable, but if you get the brochure on the street it surely will not be.
Normally, if you get a QR that upon entering takes you to a website where you must enter data, do not do it. And if it is reliable, view the page and make sure it is the one that correctly points to the company in question. However, these data cannot be bank details, other accounts, codes that you receive on your mobile, among others.
Another option is to scan the QR with applications that offer security and they analyze the web before doing anything. These apps tell you if the page is malicious or not, giving you security when accessing them completely. Also, it is necessary to have the security on the equipment updated to increase protection. We invite you to share this article with other users so that they are aware of the quishing scam and how to avoid falling for it.