QR Codes are those weird barcode like codes that you scan with your phone’s camera. They store information, most of the time, it is a website. Scanning on the barcode takes you to the website that is encoded within. It saves time typing out a long website address and possibly making a mistake and going to a fake, scam site.
The irony of it all, is that QR Codes are being used to scam us anyway. They can easily be covered up by another code that you scan instead, unknowingly, and end up on a scammers site anyway.
Ever travel to Vancouver and want to park anywhere, every parking lot or space on the street is now controlled by apps you install on your phone. It is actually really convenient once you get it setup, you have your information already preloaded in there like you license plate number and the make and model of your car. You simply find the lot number or parking space number and key it in and boom, you can stay for any period you want from 10 minutes to 8 hours in some cases.
The scam here is that the signs for these parking apps have a QR Code on them most of the time, and they do get covered up. I actually scanned one once, and was taken to a site that looked like the right site. I had never done this type of parking before so was unfamiliar.
Everything looked right, the logo etc, I was tired, it was new, I just followed along. I put in my Credit Card details, and next thing I know I have an email saying I signed up to play some online games for $35 a month.
I left the parking lot, found one of my bank’s branches nearby and got them to reverse the charge and change my credit card number immediately.
The morale of the story here, is always pay attention, especially when it comes to your credit card. Pay attention to the site you are scanning. You should see near by the actual website address, or the App Store where you can find the app. Pay special attention to the app name advertised and what their logo looks like.
Once I had the right app installed, it became so easy to park downtown and run a bunch of errands when I was in town, stopping for 10 minutes at a time.
