Lately, we see QR Codes everywhere—what are they, and are they good or bad? They are definitely very useful, but the real question is, “Are they safe?”

QR Codes, those funny little squares with the strange black patterns, can be very useful and are used in many applications. Typically, they bring you to a website, show you some text, enable you to pay for food or parking, share contact information, direct you to a questionnaire, and much more.

They’ve been around relatively unnoticed and unused for a long time but have only recently started becoming very popular.

In the past, you needed a special application to read them. Now, you only need the camera on your smartphone.

For more information on QR Codes and how to use them, please see my previous post, “QR Codes – How To Use.”

But, as with everything these days, you have to ask yourself, “Are they safe?”

In most cases, yes, they are very safe. Of course, as with everything else, you need to be careful and vigilant.

Think before you point and click.

Is this QR code on a site or in a place that you trust?

If you see it on a website, on TV, in a known magazine, flyer, or something similar that you trust, it’s probably safe. It’s much harder—and less likely—for a hacker to alter a website, TV broadcast, or reputable magazine that you receive in the mail.

But if you are out in public, be very careful. It’s easy for a hacker to place a QR Code sticker of their own over the real one, even in places you’d never suspect.

A recent hack that has been in the news involves cities using QR codes for public parking payments. Hackers placed their own code over the city’s, directing people to a malicious site that looked like the official one but instead hacked their phones and stole personal data.

Most people never suspected it!

That one should have been very trustworthy, but it was out in the open, where someone modified it. When a QR code is out in the open like that, you always need to be on guard and use your own due diligence. Don’t be too scared, most are legitimate.

Look closely to see if it might have been tampered with, such as a sticker placed on top or the original QR code. If you do visit the website, before entering your data, ask yourself, “Does something seem suspicious?”

In this case, the sticker was oversized to cover the real one, and the website was “poybyphone.online” instead of “paybyphoneonline”

Another scam I just saw on social media involves sending someone a free gift with a card that includes a QR code for more information. You think you’re scanning a legitimate code, but if you open the link, your phone could be hacked. Remember, if you don’t know and trust the source, be cautious.

Similarly, be cautious with random flyers. For example, someone could post a flyer about a lost kitty or a used bike for sale with a QR code to contact them. You want to help, but the QR code could be malicious. In those cases, it might be better to write down the phone number or website and proceed the old-fashioned way.

Yes, QR codes are easy to use, very helpful, and usually very safe. Just, as with most things these days, use a little vigilance before proceeding.

Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in additional tutorials on how to create your own QR code or other related topics.