QR & hyperlink scams

[Yojevol]

Just received the following advice from the Gloucestershire Constabulary via Neighbourhood Watch:-

1. Do not click on a hyperlink online – particularly on forums such as social media can be dangerous. It is safer to manually type the URL into a web browser than click on the link. Cyber criminals hide code which can install software on your device or give account privileges by clicking on a link that appears to be genuine.
2. Do not be pressured to click on links or follow instructions due to a reducing time clock or imminent ending of a competition. 3. Similarly, other tactics such as instilling fear on the reader to click on the link to rectify unpaid tax or similar is used to make the reader operate quickly without thinking
4. Look past the opportunity to win a prize and ask yourself if this is simply an inducement to click a link
5. Do not scan QR codes without being absolutely certain where the code came from.

 

[Blackswanwood]

QR codes to make a payment for parking etc should be avoided. Scammers replace the parking company’s QR code with their own.

 

[Robbo3]

Totally agree with the original post.
The same applies to links in emails. You may know & even trust the sender but you don't know if they are forwarding a link that will take you to somewhere other than where it says or if their PC has been infected with malware.

 

[niemeyjt]

If you have a mobile, scan the QR code with an App from Trend Micro - the anti-virus maker. The Android one is free, the Apple one is free but is part of a suite and nags to be purchased. You dont need to pay - it just nags and nags.

 

[ThornOfCamorr]

Google allows ad sponsors to specify the URL that will be displayed on the ad. Keep that in mind when clicking on sponsored search results.

uBlock Origin https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ublock-origin/cjpalhdlnbpafiamejdnhcphjbkeiagm?hl=en&pli=1 helps with all that stuff. (Make sure you get the right extension, we store had tons of copies with extra junk/malware)

 

[ey_tony]

I've been on the internet since the early days of dial-up and had my own policy that unless I was absolutely sure of the origin of an email, messages etc containing links, then just like today I treat every one of those with the suspicion that they are potentially harmful scam links etc and avoid them.

There are scams however that fall within the frame of 'legal' such as the common scams regarding applying for fishing licences or booking driving tests etc online.
Avoid using search terms such as "book my driving test online etc" or renew my fishing licence online etc as there are sites out there which are not official sites but are specifically set up to capture those searching for information and the problem is that they do legally allow you to book your driving test or renew your fishing licence legally online through their site, the scam is that they charge an additional fee which the unsuspecting victim pays usually by debit card but legally these scammers haven't broken the law as long as somewhere in their T & Cs they indicate that they charge a fee for their services..

I'd always urge doing the research first to find out the official site where to apply and then typing that address into Google etc and then applying so as to avoid any hidden scam links to sites in online addresses which may look almost identical to the official sites.