Millions of iPhone and Android users warned about popular features that could cost you dearly

According to a new report, HACKERS are increasingly using QR codes to steal people’s data.

The report found that phones and computers that are more cyber-secure than ever have forced hackers to “think outside the box.”

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Cybercriminals diversifying their attack vectors have led to a surge in QR code phishing campaigns, HP Wolf Security found.

Microsoft began blocking macro viruses in Office files by default in February last year, making it harder for attackers to run malicious code.

According to HP, social engineering tactics such as “parent/child” or “grandparent/grandchild” scams are also becoming less effective as tech users become more digitally savvy.

Therefore, a new target for some scammers is to use QR to steal data from users.

Since October 2022, HP has been seeing QR code “scan scam” campaigns almost daily.

These schemes trick people browsing the web into scanning QR codes from their PCs with their mobile devices.

Attacks usually rely on users clicking on ads they see online, resulting in malicious websites that look almost identical to the real ones.

The QR codes then redirect victims to malicious websites that ask for credit and debit card details.

An example of this is a cybercriminal posing as a parcel deliverer and demanding payment.

HP experts suspect that this is to exploit weaker phishing protection and detection on such devices.

“When one door closes, another opens,” explains Alex Holland, a senior malware analyst on HP’s threat research team.

“Users should be on the lookout for emails and websites that ask to scan QR codes and reveal sensitive information, as well as PDF files that link to password-protected archives.”

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