Disturbing warning issued over sinister 'quishing' trend

Smart phone users have received a stark warning from tech experts over a cyber-security threat known as 'quishing'.

Apparently, the concerning trick is costing some victims huge amounts of money and putting the sensitive information of others at risk.

Modern day scammers are constantly contriving insane new ways of swindling dosh out of the pockets of unknowing victims.

As well as fraudulent Post Office delivery texts, scam calls and internet hacks, clever cybercriminals have now developed a brand new means of stealing people's prized possessions, which they've reportedly found to be very successful so far.

What is quishing?

'Quishing' has fast become one of the most dangerous means of being scammed, and sees con artists jumping on the increased prevalence of QR codes.

The trend has been explained this week by tech journalists working at ELI5 (@explainlikeim5), who describe it as a type of scam that 'uses QR codes to trick people into sharing sensitive information or download harmful software'.

Scammers around the world have been taking advantage of genuine QR codes which have been put up in the public sphere - including concert posters, medical campaigns and ticketed events - and redirecting users to harmful websites using encoded URLs.

This usually occurs in the form of stickers being placed over the original image, so that passers-by using their phones will be none the wiser that the code is linked to a different site entirely.

"It’s like getting a fake invitation where the address leads you to a dangerous location," the publication explains.

"Since QR codes can’t be read by humans, it’s hard to detect their true purpose at a glance."

This new page - commonly known as a 'phishing site' may even look like the original page in terms of visuals, but often includes a prompt for the user to download some form of software in order to continue.

This may include apps that contain malware, which grants scammers access to the phone-holder's personal info - often which consists of financial details.

"When scanned, the device’s browser opens the link, exposing it to phishing sites designed to steal login credentials or personal data," ELI5 adds.

How to protect yourself against quishing

"To stay safe, avoid scanning QR codes from unverified sources and ensure the URLs they lead to are legitimate before proceeding."

Naturally, the warning has come as a shock to some social media users, who admitted they'd never have known about the scam and would likely have fallen for it.

One wrote in the post's comments: "New Scams everyday it seems thank you for sharing"

"I honestly never thought of this! Thanks for warning," added a second.

Others said they already knew someone who'd fallen victim to it.

"Be careful everyone - [this] lady's daughter was scammed out of €1000, using a QR code that she scanned to pay for parking," one explained. "Share with everyone, Stay Safe!"

Another continued: "Wow these scammers keep coming up with new and different ways of scamming us. Need harsher punishments for these criminals".

"Damn. This is something I could fall for. In a rush, not thinking…," another went on.