Scammers increasingly using QR codes to steal money and data
Sunday, 23 August 2026
Warm-up
- Where do you see QR codes most often in daily life?
- How do you usually pay for parking or tickets when you travel?
- What security steps do you take before clicking a link?
Vocabulary
- subscription
- An automatic, regular payment for a service that continues each month or year.
- fraudulent
- False and used to cheat people out of money or information.
- exploit
- To use a weakness or situation in a way that is unfair or harmful.
- phishing
- Tricking someone into giving personal details by using fake messages or links.
- malicious
- Designed to cause harm or to steal money or data.
- refund
- Money returned to you after a wrong or unwanted payment.
- underestimate
- A number that is probably lower than the true total.
- commonplace
- Happening so often that it is normal or usual in daily life.
Reading
Les Howard, 61, from Widnes, scanned a QR code on a car park meter in Caernarfon after he had no change. The app was fraudulent. He soon saw a £1 test payment, then £60, and his bank warned a monthly £60 subscription had been set up.
Cyngor Gwynedd, the council for the area, said it does not use QR codes for parking and removed two fake QR stickers in the past year. Officials say such scams, known as quishing, are becoming commonplace in car parks and stations.
Report Fraud says QR-related reports have risen 700% in four years. It received 2,743 reports in the past 12 months, compared with 341 in the year ending August 2022, likely an underestimate.
The National Cyber Security Centre advises using your phone's camera, not a separate scanner app, because adverts and extra links can mislead. Microsoft says QR codes in phishing emails are the fastest-growing tactic, with 18.7m cases in March. Criminals also exploit QR links to connect a victim's messaging app to a malicious device. Keith Betton, 66, later secured a refund after £59.99 charges followed a scan via an app.
Comprehension
- Why did Les Howard scan a QR code in Caernarfon?
- What payments appeared on his account and what had been set up?
- What is Cyngor Gwynedd’s policy on QR codes for parking?
- What term is used for these scams, and where are they common?
- What scanning advice does the NCSC give, and why?
Grammar focus
Wish / if only
Use 'wish' or 'if only' to talk about regrets. For a past regret use: wish/if only + had + past participle. For a present regret or wish about now, use wish/if only + past simple (or wish + would for changes you want). (Examples constructed.)
- I wish I had deleted the fake app after the scan.
- If only drivers checked QR stickers before they scanned them.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets.
- Drivers wish they (be) ___ more careful with QR codes.
- If only I (notice) ___ the fake sticker before I scanned it.
- Passengers wish the council (remove) ___ the stickers earlier.
- If only banks (warn) ___ customers about subscription traps.
- Users wish app developers (stop) ___ creating misleading links.
Discussion
- Have you ever scanned a QR code and regretted it? What happened?
- What checks should you do before paying by QR code in a public place?
- Should councils keep cash and card options to reduce risk? Why or why not?
- Which advice from the article will you actually follow next time?
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