QR code scams are on the rise, and most people have no idea they are being targeted until it is too late. Those small black-and-white squares are genuinely useful, but they have a security blind spot that scammers are actively exploiting: you cannot read a QR code before you scan it. That one fact is at the heart of everything covered in this episode.
Frank walks through the most common QR code scams in use right now, including fake payment stickers on parking meters, fraudulent emails and texts carrying QR codes instead of links, and a scam the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department specifically warned about: fake court notices and legal summons designed to pressure people into scanning and paying immediately. He also explains a risk most people have never considered, that simply scanning a code can expose your device type, location, and other data to whoever placed it there.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What QR codes actually are, where they came from, and why they became part of everyday life after COVID
• The legitimate, everyday uses that are completely safe: restaurant menus, event tickets, payment apps, and Wi-Fi sharing
• Why QR codes have a built-in security vulnerability that regular links do not
• What quishing means (QR code phishing) and why scammers prefer it over traditional phishing links
• How the parking meter sticker scam works and what it costs victims
• How email and text message QR code scams mimic your bank, delivery service, or the IRS
• How flyers with QR codes can trigger malware downloads that access your messages, photos, and stored passwords
• The fake legal notice scam the LA County Sheriff's Department warned about
• How scanning a QR code can expose your location and device information even without leading to a dangerous site
• Five "pause and check" rules you can remember and use immediately: evaluating the source, reading the link preview, handling unsolicited messages, dealing with login pages, and checking payment kiosks for tampering

Your action checklist from this episode:

• Read the link preview before you tap to open any QR code. Two seconds before you tap.
• Never scan a QR code from an unexpected email, text, or notice, no matter how official it looks. Go directly to the source yourself.
• Share these rules with one person in your life who might not know any of this yet.

Related episode:

• 📶 The Right Way to Share Wi-Fi with Guests -- December 9, 2025 (covers using QR codes to share your home Wi-Fi)

Resources:

• QRCodes4Homes.com (Frank's early QR code project for real estate)
• LA County Sheriff's Department warning on QR code scams in fake legal notices: https://www.vvng.com/authorities-warn-qr-code-scams-are-being-used-in-fake-legal-notices/
• [email protected]
• YourTechMakeover.com
• BravoITC.com

Support the show: Listeners who contribute $25 or more receive $25 off a one-on-one tech consultation with Frank. Visit YourTechMakeover.com for details.

Chapters:

• (00:00) - - Cold open: scan to pay, fake sticker on the meter