QR code payment approach dominating China’s small business market now has encountered a very basic, rough crime that targets the technology’s security loopholes.

Police in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province arrested two suspects who cheated over 10,000 RMB (about 1,470 US dollars) by replacing over 20 downtown merchants’ QR codes, according to local media.

A QR code or a Quick Response Code is a 2D barcode consist of black and white squares that stores encoded information. By scanning the QR code, users’ mobile devices can be taken to any website embedded in the code.

The technology is extremely user-friendly and very widely applied in China and elsewhere in Asia. Both Wechat Wallet and Alipay adopt QR codes to finish online payment processing. 

But the speedy convenience was achieved at a cost of blanking necessary information in any given transaction or information exchange.

The seized suspects were captured carrying over 314 QR code stickers generated through fake IDs and cellphone numbers. Both suspects admitted going around shops, stalls and restaurants as one of them talked to the business owners as a distraction while the other replaced QR codes at the counter front.

The crime was hardly noticed until one of the busy, small-scale shop owners found he’d lost up to 2,000 RMB (some 300 US dollars).

Crimes make use of QR codes are not limited to such stealing from transactions. Due to its nature, QR codes blocked readable information from its users, allowing scammers to embed malware links that can get one’s private information compromised.

To condition such abuse to this promising technology, some social media site like Tencent’s WeChat have embedded a security feature in QR scanners that help weed out the good and bad QR codes.

Despite the risks, QR codes remain popular in China among business promotion, advertising and retailing, bike-sharing businesses.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, nearly half of respondents in a survey who use the messaging service WeChat said they use QR codes.

Before then, cheaters illegally stole people’s money via phone payment by trapping them to scan the fraudulent QR code sticking on shared bikes or traffic citations. Indeed, while QR code provides people great conveniences, it also gives access to criminals.

# In many cases, such fraudulent QR codes appear to be:

 "Scan And Get A Gift"

When walking in place like market, you must have seen this: scan our QR code and you will get a gift! Actually, it may be just a marketing strategy to promote products. 

Usually, it needs you to scan the code and fill in personal information, which, lead to privacy disclosure.

"We Want Your Support"

Nearby metro stations and bus stations, cheaters are carrying little boards with QR codes on them, asking passersby to scan, saying: 

Please support ou 47 31726 47 14939 0 0 3608 0 0:00:08 0:00:04 0:00:04 3607r start-up business by scanning code”, or Scan the code to take part in our company’s activity”. 

Such QR codes are likely to be fraudulent! Once you scan them and download apps via the web page, you put your account at risk!

"Scan To Pay Your Penalty"

Worse still, some cheaters counterfeit “traffic citation”with a QR code on it to trick drivers into paying the “penalty”! 

Thus, police suggest people that before paying traffic penalty, make sure whether the bill is true or not and finish the payment via official online system. 

Source: CGTN

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