I needed to post this before mid-month, because some people do not know the risks involved with scanning QR codes.

Please forward to the appropriate people in your circles.

These black and white elements are becoming very popular, extremely popular, but there’s a huge risk for all to simply use our phones and scan them, believing whatever the offer linked to them is, be it a discount offer, a contact information promise, a product you need, or anything else.

Malware creators are taking advantage of these, using them for phishing (squishing), and to gather your financial and personal information to impersonate you, and even for ransomware attacks.

So, please be careful and take the time to think whether it’s a good idea to be shutter-happy every time you see one of these. Better to take a few seconds to analyze origin, placement, accuracy, and such.